The prince of Indiana, the dusty driver of the heartland rock machine, the general contractor of little pink houses everywhere, the ever-steady chaperone of Jack and Diane is going to R.O.C.K. in P.G. one more time.
John Mellencamp has amassed one of the most prolonged and prestigious careers in the history of rock 'n' roll. His hit-list runs thick and savory from the Chestnut Street Incident of 1976 through to this past year's Sad Clowns & Hillbillies. His 23 studio albums have launched 65 singles. He has so many record sales and digital downloads that the calculators hardly have enough columns for all the millions.
His music doesn't just appear in the great cultural songbook, he is his own soundtrack for a swath of Americana. Hurts So Good, Small Town, Paper In Fire, Cherry Bomb, Check It Out, Rooty Toot Toot, Rave On, (The Walls Come) Crumblin' Down, Human Wheels, Walk Tall, Get A Leg Up, What Say You (duet with Travis Tritt)...his songs form their own land mass.
Mellencamp is in exclusive company - The Eagles, Fleetwood Mac, The Rolling Stones, Neil Young, and very few others - for whom their audience defies typical genre. He is beloved as much by the AC/DC fan as he is the Johnny Cash fan.
Mellencamp was last in Prince George six years ago. He brings his Sad Clowns & Hillbillies tour to CN Centre on Nov. 4 with ticket prices ranging from $55 to $85 (plus applicable taxes and service charges). Seats go on sale Friday at 10 a.m.
