John Mellencamp dared ask a recurring question Thursday at a sold-out Chicago Theatre: What kind of country do we want?
Playing the first date of a three-night stand, the singer-songwriter put that query directly to the crowd and indirectly through song.
currently contains a potent, self-authored statement about gun control, pro-life hypocrisy and indifferent politicians. He alludes to some of these issues in the paintings he’s created, whose imagery frequently ties to his lyrics.Mellencamp tapped into his connections to both mediums in a half-hour concert-opening film that featured clips from classics such as “The Misfits,” “The Grapes of Wrath” and “A Streetcar Named Desire.
Deceit, disappointment and loss clung like an odor to many of the songs. The twisted “I Always Lie to Strangers” went so far as to trumpet treachery; “Crumblin’ Down” addressed the fallout of rule-bending and disrespect. Punctuated with dramatic pauses and thick blues, “John Cockers” rebuked values, embraced isolation and welcomed death. Sent up with three guitars, “Rain on the Scarecrow” sounded raw and desperate, its bleak landscapes still recognizable.
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