BWW Reviews: JOHN MELLENCAMP Shows No Sign of Slowing Down at Rocking PPAC Show

Famous celebrities, singers, musicians, actors and the like, can often seem almost other-worldly. As if they're from some other dimension or planet, different from ours, one we'll never fully experience or understand. Others, though, seem so remarkably a part of our world and a familiar resident in it that the quality becomes one of their calling cards. For his entire decade-spanning career, John Mellencamp has been one of those artists. He has always had an everyman quality, as if he has worked the same jobs we have, dreamed the same dreams, lived the same life and had the same experiences. And, of course, he has had some of those same dreams and experiences, he's just been able to craft them into songs which have more than stood the test of time and still have as much relevance and power as on the day he wrote them.

Walking on to the stage at Providence Performing Arts Center, Mellencamp looked grayer and older but with a sly, almost-mischievous smile. When he first began singing, his voice also sounded older, with more of a rough, gravel-like quality than fans may be used to. That bit of gravelly coarseness went away, though, and only returned during a couple of blues songs. Although he can sometimes come across as a bit cocky, there are only flashes of that amidst his many moments when he seems entirely approachable and down-to-earth. He seems older and wiser, kind of like the slightly-crazy-but-incredibly talented old uncle in your family who breaks out the guitar every Thanksgiving and blows everyone away.

Which is exactly what he did to the audience at PPAC. Regardless of his age, Mellencamp can still rock and roll with the best of them, and better than most. He has not slowed down, nor has he lost any of his ability to work a guitar or belt out a tune, whether it's hand-clapping, foot-stomping rock or down-and-dirty blues. At one point, he promised the audience "songs you'll know, songs you won't know, songs you can dance to and songs you can sing along," and that's exactly what they got. There were unfamiliar tunes, including a few from a musical he wrote with Stephen King, and, of course, some of the old favorites.

Those old favorites may be what Mellencamp is best known for and the reason why many appeared in attendance for his concert. They are iconic songs which are still played regularly on the radio across this country and most of them are instantly recognizable. They're songs that still make us roll down the window, turn the radio up and sing along as loud as we can. Songs like "Jack and Diane," "Small Town," "Paper In Fire," "Crumblin' Down," "Pink Houses," and "Cherry Bomb." When he rocked out those old favorites, the PPAC audience alternated between losing their minds and singing along. It was an incredible atmosphere to be in as Mellencamp and the entire building absolutely rocked.

While those songs are still as fun and relevant as they were thirty years ago, Mellencamp is still making new music. His new album is titled "Plain Spoken," the same title that's on this current tour. The songs from the album don't necessarily have the same fun, pop-infused feel. They're heavier, more profound and maybe darker, songs like "Lawless Times" and "Troubled Man" that feel less lightweight and more important. They may be part of Mellencamp's attempt to keep imparting wisdom on his millions of fans, the kind of wisdom he offered on stage at PPAC and has offered in his music for nearly forty years.

Prior to arriving on stage, Mellencamp's opener also deserves some mention. Carlene Carter is the daughter of June Carter and stepdaughter of Johnny Cash. Coming from musical royalty, Carter was bound to be amazing and she did not disappoint one bit. During her set, she told a number of stories about her childhood, growing up as a member of the musical Carter family, watching both her grandmother and mother perform and then being a part of The Carter Sisters. It's an impressive lineage and she is carrying it on wonderfully.

Carter also seems nowhere near her age of nearly sixty. Her energy appears to be endless, as does her pure joy as she sings on stage or just talks with the audience. She's also got a wonderful sense of humor, as she joked about her marriages and some of her exploits during long career. Perhaps most importantly, she has a gorgeous singing voice which she displayed while playing both the guitar and the piano. Later, she also joined Mellencamp on stage for a couple of songs and provided another glimpse at her beyond impressive vocal talents.

Impressive is also an understatement for the musicians accompanying Mellencamp on his tour. There are six of them, playing instruments including the violin, guitar, drums, electric guitar and bass, keyboard, accordian and harmonica. Especially incredible is Miriam Sturm on the violin, who brought the house down all by herself a number of times. Troy Kinnett on keyboard, harmonica and accordian, was also fantastic throughout the show. That's not to say the others weren't, of course, Mellencamp has assembled a uniformly talented band of musicians who shine just as brightly as he does.

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