Are You Ready?

John Mellencamp kicked off an 80 city North American tour in South Bend, IN on Jan 21, 2015 at the Morris Performing Arts Center, in support of his recently released record, Plain Spoken. Mellenheads around the country rejoiced! This is JM's first major tour in several years. Opening night is where all the pod people [see 'super

fan' in the dictionary] converge - it's legend. Almost. And, come, we did - from California, Ohio, Indiana, Iowa, and Minnesota. Oh, did I mention we had front row seats?? Yes, yes, we did. Again, almost expected. We are, after all, super fans. 

Carlene Carter opened the show, engaging the audience with stories as she played her set. She's almost legend, too, as part of family royalty from her grandmother to her mother to her stepfather. See Maybelle Carter, June Carter and Johnny Cash. You get my drift.

Alas, after months of anticipation, John and the band stepped onto the stage.
It was the first of many mouth dropping moments. They were all dressed in formal wear with a very nostalgic look. A sharp dressed band. I've never seen them look so dapper.

The set began with Lawless Times, a number from the new record, quickly followed by another new one, Troubled Man. Everyone in the front of the house was on their feet. And on our feet we stayed. All night. Clapping, singing, dancing, with a few loud 'whoops' thrown in for good measure. The third song, a perennial favorite and heart grabber whenever it's played, was Minutes To Memories. Small Town was a rollicking number backed by the band. Did I mention how sharp they looked dressed in their formal wear? Yeah, I did. I remember. The next song on the set list, cue the second mouth drop of the night, was Stones In My Passway, and, again, was understood, as a die hard fan. John covered it, a Robert Johnson tune, in 2003, and he always kicked ass performing it, probably one of most passionate of performances. It's been years since we heard JM perform it. GOOSEBUMPS. Human Wheels is another perennial favorite, including participation moves with hands circling in the air during the line "human wheels spinning 'round and 'round." Think of it as a Rocky Horror picture show at a concert. Fun times. Nothing better. Okay, back to the set list and the killer show JM performed. Another new favorite song made the list, The Isolation of Mister followed by Check It Out. 

John then went into an acoustic portion with Longest Days, a sing along with the audience on Jack and Diane, and with that, Troye Kinnette sat down at the piano, and accompanied JM on a completely rearranged version of Full Catastrophe of Life. It was nothing like I've EVER heard JM do before. It was lounge singer meets soul singer meets blues singer. I was a puddle. On the floor. With my mouth hanging open. Again.

At some point, during the acoustic set, John dealt with a heckler who was shouting at him to 'just sing' as he was introducing one of the songs. John barked back at him with an expletive laced rant, and rightly so. We missed part of the story about the ice cream, too. Thanks, dude [insert sarcasm]. 

John then brought out Carlene to sing two numbers, Away From This World and Tear This Cabin Down, both from "Ghost Brothers of Darkland County," a musical written by Stephen King and JM. Carlene was added to the touring cast last fall. She was joined by John on the latter. My one friend leaned over and whispered "June and Johnny Cash right there." Yep. Pretty close. Again, this was something a die hard fan 'gets.' They exit the stage. Miriam Sturm and Troye Kinnett enter, taking center stage, and begin this beautiful rendition of Overture, an instrumental from 1996 "Mr Happy Go Lucky!!" I have never heard this live as I missed this tour. Vacation or something, and before I started traveling to shows. Overture was yet another die hard fan addition. Incredible. Mind blown, again. Mouth agape.  


With that, the rocking classic portion of the evening kicks off, with Scarecrow, Paper In Fire, If I Die Sudden, Crumbling Down, R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A., and Pink Houses. If I Die Sudden is not exactly one of the classics. It hails from "Life, Death, Love and Freedom." I saw it performed for the first time at Farm Aid in 2007. John kicks ass on it, too. It's a neck and neck performance version with Stones In My Passway.

Band intros included a Happy Birthday sing along to longtime guitarist Mike Wanchic, after JM announced it was his 63rd birthday. 

The night was capped off with Cherry Bomb, a song I always hear a lot of fans complain afterwards if it's not included in the show. It may be time to stay home if you're not on your feet during this song! 

The band joined John center stage, then exited, and with that, John took a few more appreciative bows, and ended with his trademark side swipe 'see you later' arm motions. 

John Mellencamp melted faces and blew minds with opening night. 

One down, seventy nine to go. 





  

The Crescent City ~ Following Lucinda Williams' Footsteps

A planned Sugar Bowl trip to New Orleans had this Cincinnati Bearcat fan excited for more reasons than I could count ~ spending quality time with my family, cheering the Bearcats to a win, warmer weather, Bourbon Street and the French Quarter, hurricanes from Pat O' Brien's, AND exploring a city where Lucinda Williams lived and performed as well as visited in the early stages of her career. I'm a part of her cultish fan base, as it has so often been described, and thought it would be fun to follow in her footsteps in the city where she found her groove.

Armed with handwritten sugestions from Lucinda of places she frequented, provided by her manager/husband and biggest fan, I gleefully set out with lists in hand. First, we (my husband, son, father-in-law and brother-in-law) stopped by The Coffee Pot, one of many quaint restaurants lining the French Quarter, with recommendations to sample the Calas or Lost Bread(Pain Perdu), both traditional Creole recipes, according to Lu's notes. Tom, Lu's husband, also hinted there were surprises at this restaurant he didn't want to ruin, prompting a scavenger hunt searching the dining room, perusing the menu, as well as searching the adjacent courtyard and upstairs area. Good thing my life didn't depend on it as the mystery still remains. The dining area was full with a lunch time crowd, so we continued on our quest. I was hoping we would return to enjoy a traditional Creole breakfast, however, the timing just didn't work out. Next on the list, Lu noted, on a personal level, her visits to Preservation Hall where her father, poet Miller Williams, brought her in the late 60's to hear famed jazz pianist Sweet Emma Barrett. We walked past the weathered looking building as I realized I had passed this building several times, unnoticed, in previous visits. Pat O'Brien's is a few doors away and always commanded a stop for a hurricane whenever we were visiting, yet, I never noticed the building or realized its history. Perhaps, it was the libation of too much rum? Needless to say, the "Lu NOLA footsteps" tour carried on.

A few streets over on St. Philips found us walking past Irene's, an Italian restaurant, according to Tom, Lu had played at some point. It was early afternoon, an employee was spraying the sidewalk preparing for dinner guests. The restaurant wasn't due to open for several hours, however, I did peek in when employees were entering, and saw several black and white framed photos, possibly former entertainers, however, I couldn't quite see the faces hanging on the walls. Another suggested stop, a restaurant near Jackson Square, Muriel's, is one I was interested in showing my 11 year old as Lu noted the building was haunted. This elegant upscale restaurant, with a quick look inside was duly noted for a return trip. A few steps away, another haunted suggested stop, Cafe Du Monde, a perfect suggestion for a frigid day in NOLA. I highly recommend both the coffee and the beignets! Apparently, Lu loves the coffee as well, as evidenced in a prior interview where she lists Cafe Du Monde coffee with chicory as a staple stocked in her fridge. You can read this interview HERE.

Lucinda's list steered me towards Royal Street for all things art related, where she noted the highest concentration of galleries ran along Royal Street from Canal Street to Esplanade with the bulk between the 300 to 800 blocks. How's that for personal tour guidance? One shop listed, Kako's Gallery, supported original Louisiana art as well as colorful outsider art. I visited this shop twice as well as some antique shops with musuem like type items. Very cool "stuff."

Lu had an "uptown" spot listed, Camellia Grill, where she noted it as an old time diner with only counters and bar stools. We did travel uptown, via a trolley car, to visit friends staying in the Garden District during their Sugar Bowl stay, however, there was no time to spare, only a few hours between game time and our visit. Another place duly noted for a return trip.

Last mention, and an overlook on my part, a missing list with information I would have LOVED to follow. I received the handwritten lists in several transmissions before I left, via email, and invariably opened one without running a print out. I found it in my old mail on my return *promptly gives swift kick in rear for oversight*. Two places are mentioned with personal notations. One, Parasol's Restaurant , a sports bar Lu notes is in the heart of the Irish Channel (say again?...my family and my husband's family both have strong Irish roots. We gravitate towards these places) and was one of her mother's favorite Po Boy places. Second, and of major interest, a club on Napolean Ave, Tipitina's, a place Lu had performed early in her career. She wrote in her notes..."The club is a lot bigger now than it was in the 70's and I haven't been there in a long time. I don't know what it's like now but I used to play there in the early days - opened up once for Koko Taylor and used to go see Professor Longhair play there." Another swift kick for missing this opportunity. I did find a photo of Lucinda in the archives on their website with photo cred to Pat Kauchick, featured at top of the blog.

Much fun and inspiration was added to my Sugar Bowl trip with the suggested hot spots from Lucinda. I have a yearning to return with my husband one day, in a time when we can really kick up our heels, sans young son. Warmer weather would have been nice. It was very cold while we were there. A Cincinnati Bearcats win over Florida even better. However, it wasn't meant to be. I will, then, take this opportunity to give a special shout out to the Cincinnati football team...thanks for the memories! You had a perfect season and one to take great pride in. I, as a result, had a perfect trip to the Crescent City. Merci!