John Mellencamp - Life, Death, Love And Freedom - Hear Music
By Nige Tassell from the November 2008 issue.

T-Bone takes the Springsteen wannabe into the black

T-Bone Burnett is in danger of eclipsing Rick Rubin as the producer an artist is most likely to call when wishing to re-route their career, whether it’s persuading BB King to dispense with those backslapping celebrity collaborations and revisit the music of his youth, or here nudging everyman blue-collar rock Mellencamp away from an FM-radio-friendly rock sound. Instead, Burnett leads the former “Cougar” into some darker corners, shifting into a lower gear to the accompaniment of delicate acoustic arrangements. Such restraint hasn’t halted Mellencamp’s career-long desire to be Bruce Springsteen II, though-tracks like Longest Days, complete with the requisites and paper vocals, could be off-cuts from Nebraska. What’s more, as refreshingly tasteful and considered as Life, Death, Love And Freedom may be, Mellencamp is sticking his flag into territory already claimed by Steve Earle, a man who writes more memorable songs that go deeper into the human condition.

Word Magazine Now Hear This! Free CD's bring you the most intriguing, most promising and plain best new music each and every month.

No. 10
John Mellencamp
A Ride Back Home
Lack of ambition has never been a problem for John Mellencamp His new album is called Life, Death, Love And Freedom, which gives you some hint of its scope. It’s produced by T-Bond Burnett, whose recent success with Robert Plant and Alison Krauss indicates that he knows how to bridge the gap between roots music and the mainstream. Mellencamp reckons it’s the best record he’s ever made. 

I'm a little weary of Jack and Diane but I can't hate them too much.
By SIMON COSYNS
Life Death Love And Freedom
**** 1/2

I’d always put John Mellencamp down as a nearly man, nearly in the same bracket as Bruce Springsteen but not quite.

He’d shifted truckloads of albums in the Eighties. His Jack And Diane were the most celebrated couple in song.

He could sell out vast arenas, write an endless stream of multi-platinum albums ... but something was missing.

We’d seen Johnny Cougar the pop star but perhaps we hadn’t always seen the real John Mellencamp, the uncompromising, searingly honest artist he is today.

His new album Life Death Love And Freedom is, without question, the most compelling work of his 30-year career. It stares life’s big issues in the eye, unflinching and sincere. It rails against injustices and greed in the United States with unerring ferocity. It confronts the passing years and the prospect of death with compassion and grace. It finds salvation in the power of love and freedom.

Produced by the reliably excellent T Bone Burnett (Robert Plant and Alison Krauss), it has a raw, rootsy sound and plenty of reverb to frame John’s seasoned tones.

I met the singer, still sporting his trademark quiff, in London this week on his 57th birthday. I found him with both feet firmly on the ground, a man who tells it straight, just like his songs, but there’s plenty of added charm.

He lights up a cigarette (having asked politely if I mind) and reflects: “I started out as Johnny Cougar and there was nobody in the world, in 1976, gonna take that seriously. And it was an English guy who gave me that name. You guys were big on that stuff. Elvis Costello (real name Declan McManus) and I were talking about how he got the better name last week. I only had one route to take ... to have such big hit records that people would say: ‘Never mind his name, he’s got great songs!’”

Here, John, who lives in his beloved Indiana with his ex-supermodel wife Elaine, talks about the album, politics, religion and why Jack And Diane still have a special place in his heart.

When you were inducted to the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, your friend Billy Joel said, “Stay ornery, stay mean, we need you to be p****d off.” What did you make of that?

I don’t know what he’s talking about! I guess that’s what people think because I’m not one of these artists who is accommodating to people, particularly record companies. I don’t have a vendetta against anyone but if somebody says something or does something I don’t think is right, I tell them. In today’s pop culture, artists are expected to get in line and conform. What Billy should have said is, “John Mellencamp is a tough guy with heart”, that’s what I would have preferred! You know like James Cagney.

Your album title pretty much covers everything ...

I wrote what I thought were things that people my age are confronted with but don’t wanna talk about. I was also very mindful of the American songbook, so no topic was off-limits. There’s a danger of having too many hit records, particularly in the United States. I used to deliver an album and the first question was: “How many singles do you have? And I would be like: “Why don’t you listen to the f***ing album?” As time has gone on, I have stepped back from all that. In any case, radio in the United States would never play a song by anybody my age. It’s all geared around people like the Jonas Brothers. It’s almost as if you’re not from Disneyland, they’re not gonna play you. Knowing that has given me a tremendous amount of freedom.

You confront death in a very open way on songs like Longest Days and Don’t Need This Body.

This record is for people who are serious music listeners, serious about their own personal lives and serious about trying to find some kind of comfort. There’s a real famous actor in the United States, you know him here, I won’t tell you, but he’s dying. He called me and I thought: “What the f*** does he want to talk to me about, I don’t even know this guy?” And he said: “Hey John, listen, you’re record has brought me unbelievable comfort.” I said: “Listen man, if you could find one moment of peace through these words, that’s a great success.”


There’s a political aspect to this album. Jena reflects on continuing racism in America.

Hanging nooses in a tree or painting swastikas on a Jewish person’s door is not going to solve any problems. This is not the type of country that America needs to be. Don’t let the fact that Obama has a ten-point lead make you think he’s gonna win this election because people will say: “Yeah, I’m gonna vote for the guy, but when they get in the booth ...”

Who is John Cockers (he’s the title of a song)?

He’s just a lot of people that I see who are so selfish or so ignorant they can’t recognize the value of life. There are a million John Cockers and you’ll see them when you walk down the street, when they cut you off in their car and tell you: “Get the f*** out of my way!’ In the United States, values and respect for other people have dissipated. “I don’t accommodate nobody!” is the first line in the song and a lot of people feel that way.

So, is society very damaged?

I just saw this thing on TV where this cop killed himself here because he was played out. He couldn’t even stand himself. That’s the hungry beast man! It is inside of all of us. It’s in our DNA to be that way but if people just did what they wanted, it would be like Lord Of The Flies. We would just be hitting each other with sticks. I did an interview yesterday with a woman who said: “John, this record is so depressing that I had to listen to it in dribs and drabs. People want to be entertained and happy.” I said: “Listen, when all else fails ...dance! But I don’t think we’re there yet.”

You ask Jesus for “a ride back home.” Are you religious?

I think people use religion in a funny way. I’m not real sure God responds to: “Help me get this new job.” I don’t think he has time for that. If there is a spirit up there, he’s not bothered with you if you’re throwing up because you drank too much. I don’t think you can make deals like that. In the United States, we have a Right-wing agenda. This Palin woman thinks that the Iraqi war is a war of God. No, it’s a war of oil.


What was it like working with T Bone?

He’s the George Martin (The Beatles) of our time. He is so passive and so articulate when you’re in the studio. He’s not like me because I’m all over the place. He knows more about music from 1950 back to 1900 than anybody I’ve ever met.

Does it bother you that you’re best known for Jack And Diane?

That song is 30 or so years old and it gets played more today in the United States than it did when it came out. As much as I am a little weary of those two, I don’t know any other two people in rock and roll who are more popular than Jack and Diane. Some people probably think there’s a place in hell for me because of those two people! But it gave me the keys to do what I want. I’m 57 today. I’ve lived the way I wanted to live, sometimes recklessly and stupidly, but still been able to do that. I’ve been able to live on my whims, that’s what Jack and Diane gave me, so I can’t hate them too much.

Was there ever a point where you thought you would give up?

I’ve never felt like I was at the mercy of anybody. Even at my lowest point, I was never at someone else’s discretion.

Will we see you touring over here?

I gotta work out how to go on stage without my ears ringing so loud. As soon as I figure that out, maybe. But I am happy to say that I have had a very fortunate life.

Click HERE to read the article online.  

Earlier this week John taped a performance in London for the “Later…with Jules Holland” BBC-TV program. John's performance will air on the Friday episode, Oct 10th. 

John Mellencamp was awarded Q Magazine’s prestigious “Classic Songwriter” title at today’s star-studded 2008 Q Awards with Russian Standard Vodka presentation at London’s Grosvenor House Hotel.

The award was presented personally by Q editor Paul Rees.

Best known in the U.K. for “Jack and Diane,” Mellencamp said in his acceptance speech, “I wrote that song 30 years ago--that ‘Jack and Diane song’--and people are still playing it. The whole thing about being a songwriter is to show some humility when you are writing a song--you want something that goes into people’s hearts…I’m still hoping to write that song!”

The title places Mellencamp in celebrated company. Billy Bragg won it last year, and previous winners include Elton John and Noel Gallagher of Oasis. Additionally, Mellencamp was in a group of other Q Award winners including Coldplay (Best Act in the World), Grace Jones (Q Legend), Adam Ant (Q Icon) and Glen Campbell (Q Legend).

Mellencamp, along with Coldplay and Campbell, will now appear on the popular “Later…with Jules Holland” BBC-TV program tomorrow—his 57th birthday (to air on Fri, Oct 10th). He will perform “Longest Days” acoustically, and will also perform a five-song acoustic mini-set of songs from “Life, Death, Love, and Freedom” on Wednesday at the famed Borderline club for key radio, retail and press representatives, as well as 20 lucky fans who were able to secure tickets.

There are other promotional activities forthcoming for Mellencamp during this trip. He has not toured the U.K. or Europe since the “Whenever We Wanted Tour” in 1992, though he has returned for similar undertakings in support of “Mr. Happy Go Lucky” in 1996 and “John Mellencamp” in 1999.

Mellencamp, of course, lived in England for a brief time during his early career years when he was making the 1978 album "A Biography." His current travels immediately followed his performance at the Oct. 3 YouthAIDS benefit in Washington, D.C., where he performed six songs in honor of his friend MTV CEO Judy McGrath, who was being honored by the education/prevention group. 

John Mellencamp
Life Death Love And Freedom
3 stars
By Paul Ree’s

Among a crop of like minded American singer-songwriters to have emerged in the ‘70’s (Springsteen, Tom Petty, Warren Zevon), John Mellencamp is the forgotten man over here, and unfairly so. Life Death Love And Freedom (punctuation is for wimps, apparently) won’t return him to the US chart-topping status he once enjoyed, but it’s his best work since 1993’s Human Wheels. Like that album it’s a folksy, melancholy affair, producer T-Bone Burnett bringing the same intimate feel he gave to Robert Plant and Alison Krauss’s Raising Sand. AS the title implies, it talks the big issues, sometimes at the expense of melody, but there’s a handful of very fine songs here.

Download: Jena
 

John Mellencamp
4 Stars
Life, Death, Love And Freedom
Universal

Proper Indianan Hoosier Mellencamp shows his darker and fiery roots.

Several major health problems, four marriages and 23 albums, Mellencamp might actually win major original artist status by the time he's 60 (in three year's time). Last year he was still heartland-rocky enough to sell a track for a Chevy TV ad, but only the Undertakers of America will see synergy in this one. Amid producer T Bone Burnett's open prairie sound and aptly distorted guitar moods, Mellencamp croaks a sequence of raw, all but nihilistic yet far from self-pitying first person tales about well, death mainly, leavened by the odd rather forlorn reference to the life, love, and freedom elements of the title. As one of his grimly ancient narrators opines in Don't Need This Body, "This getting older/Ain't for cowards.", Rock 'n' Roll truth spans the generations. Has to. Comes with a free DVD version. - Burnett is pioneering new sound CODE. 

John Mellencamp
Life Death Love And Freedom
Hear Music
4 Stars
By Adam Sweeting

Springsteen school graduate excels with scary country sound

This bracingly raw set of fables finds the Indiana balladeer digging deeper into the country-blues roots he finds increasingly fascinating, so potently that it's like time-traveling back to the depression and Roosevelt's New Deal. Mellencamp uses traditional forms and mostly acoustic instruments, but his messages are contemporary. ("Foundation is crumbling, the inner structure's gone"), and his songs about death and doubt carry a chilling ring of authenticity. In "Longest Days", he's written one of the most harrowing songs about age and disillusion you'll ever hear. Bleak but brilliant. 

John Mellencamp is among several music and political luminaries featured in “Johnny Cash’s America,” a documentary that explores the Man in Black’s politics, beliefs, influence and patriotism. After local screenings in Los Angeles, Woodstock, Memphis, New York and Nashville, it will air nationally on Oct. 23 on the Biography Channel, with a DVD release to follow Oct. 28 from Sony/Legacy.

An inductee into both the Rock and Roll and Country Music Halls of Fame, the late Cash touched on some of the most contentious issues of his time--war, prison reform, youth discontent, religion, Native American rights—while remarkably retaining an audience spanning vastly different political, economic, and social standings. In his comments, Mellencamp relates Cash’s concerns to today’s political climate in interview in personal recollections that run throughout the program.

Others interviewed for the documentary include former Vice President Al Gore, Senator Lamar Alexander (Tennessee), Bob Dylan, Sheryl Crow and Snoop Dogg. Directed by award-winning documentary filmmakers Morgan Neville and Robert Gordon (“Respect Yourself: The Stax Records Story,” “Muddy Waters Can’t Be Satisfied” and “Shakespeare was a Big George Jones Fan,” “Johnny Cash’s America” is narrated by Academy Award-winner Chris Cooper. Click for the complete press release and movie theater premiers.
 
 

HDNet has scheduled repeat showings of “John Mellencamp Live at Walter Reed,” the landmark April 28, 2007 concert from the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C. that was originally shown live on the channel. The full concert will run again on Sunday, Oct. 5, at 9:40 p.m. (Eastern), and will be offered also on Oct. 6 and Oct. 12.

Also on Oct. 6, HDNet will re-run “The Plain Truth – Dan Rather with John Mellencamp,” which originally ran on July 4, 2007 following a re-run of the Walter Reed concert. Taped in his recording studio in Bloomington, the program features Mellencamp’s discussion with Rather concerning the concert as well as his music career.

“John Mellencamp Live at Walter Reed” took place in Building #41, the historic Old Red Cross Building situated on the grounds of the fabled Medical Center. The building had a capacity of 230, and the audience was made up largely of wounded and injured service people being treated there. The concert and the events surrounding it were documented in “John Mellencamp: The Concert At Walter Reed,” a book that includes photographs by Elaine Irwin Mellencamp that is available at concerts and in the STORE. 

John Mellencamp’s musical heroes notwithstanding, no one had a bigger impact on him than the late Paul Newman.

“In 1967, me and four other guys went to see ‘Cool Hand Luke’ every night for seven nights straight,” recalled Mellencamp, who was a high school sophomore when he and his pals “stumbled on” Newman’s classic prison drama film at Seymour’s Vondee Theater. “It was winter and we wanted to get out of the house on a Monday night—and we came back Tuesday and Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday. We saved up our lunch money so we could go and by the end of the week we could recite every line!”

This, of course, was at a time of historic musical creativity.

“There was so much great music to be discovered,” Mellencamp continued. “Remember, there was Dylan, the Stones, the importance of James Brown. But for some reason on that week Paul Newman made the biggest influence on me, probably bigger than Dylan, Woody Guthrie, and James Brown--just by the nature of that character he played.”

Indeed, Newman’s Oscar-nominated portrayal of the nonconformist Luke Jackson had a lasting impression on the young Mellencamp.

“He stood up for himself, and never gave up. But at same time he played by his own rules. Every guy I was with identified with that character, and one guy even started wearing a pop bottle opener around his neck because that’s what Luke did.”
Speaking two days after Newman’s passing, Mellencamp added: “I had very few people in my life I admired, but I admired Newman because of his political stances and activism, his self-deprecation, his ability with women, and his caring for people who were less fortunate. He also showed great integrity in his personal life and kept it private—and he was a loving father. He stood for a lot of things that I think are good in a male role model, and I actually named one of my kids after one of his characters.”

He was referring to his son Hud, the name of the title character played by Newman in the 1963 film drama—for which he was also nominated for an Oscar.

The Mellencamp family sends their condolences to the family of Paul Newman “and anyone else who admired him,” concluded Mellencamp. “He left a beautiful legacy of wonderful antiheroes for all of us to aspire to.”

 

As Columbus, Indiana Mayor Fred Armstrong noted in proclaiming Sept. 23 John Mellencamp Day, the first—and last—time John Mellencamp played the 700-seat Crump Theatre in Columbus, Indiana was on Oct. 4, 1976, when the then Johnny Cougar was supporting his debut album “Chestnut Street Incident.”

Mellencamp returned to “Chestnut Street” in his career-encompassing Sept. 23 concert at the Crump, which was lensed for the forthcoming “Back Where We Started” documentary-style special on Mellencamp’s formative years being produced for the Bio Channel. He offered a fragment of the album’s titletrack—admittedly about as much as he could remember—along with other early fare like “Taxi Dancer” and “I Need a Lover,” all of which were performed solo acoustic. His performance of “To M.G. (Wherever She May Be)” from 1980's “Nothin’ Matters and What If It Did” was dedicated to the high school flame he wrote it for—who lives in Columbus and happened to be in the audience.

I Need A Lover

Other old Mellencamp classmates and pals were present, as were family members—most notably young son Speck, whom Mellencamp said was auditioning for the band when he came out to play guitar on show closer “Authority Song.” Past band members were also on hand and included guitarist Dave Parman, who now teaches at Vincennes University—which Mellencamp attended—and bass player Ferd, who laughingly declined Mellencamp’s mid-show invitation to come up and play.

The old Crump itself showed every bit its age. Built in 1874, the dilapidated music hall-turned-movie theater, while modernized in the 1940s, required re-bolting some of the seats to the floor—and the installation of a fire escape to get it up to code. While Mellencamp didn’t recall much about his preceding concert experience there, he did recount he vivid memories of he and a friend riding their Honda 305 Scramblers to Columbus and seeing “Easy Rider” at the Crump, and chuckled at his memory of how they "really tore up Columbus that night" after being inspired by the movie. And in between “Small Town” and “Rain On the Scarecrow” he was reminded of the worst show he ever played, the famed Cavern Club in Liverpool in 1977: Excited to play the Beatles legendary stomping ground, he found the place to be a dump where only three people showed up to see him.

His return to the Crump, however, was SRO. The street outside was closed off at 7 p.m., and for the many fans unable to secure tickets, Mellencamp provided a TV monitor and speakers for outdoor viewing. He and Elaine also came out to sign autographs prior to receiving the mayoral proclamation.

Recognizing the accomplishments of “one of our own Hoosiers,” Mayor Armstrong ran through Mellencamp’s career highlights and lauded him both for choosing to make Indiana his home and his “tremendous contributions to the institutions and people of our great state.”

Mellencamp was preceded on stage by the Debuteens and Music Men--a 24-voice high school choir from Columbus North High who performed three Mellencamp songs a cappella, much to the approval of the singer-songwriter watching from the wings. Other highlights of Mellencamp’s set included an especially rocking version of “Paper and Fire” and “Longest Days,” the latter song enlivened by Mellencamp’s charming story about visiting his now-deceased 100-year old grandma. It was very hot in the small theater with all the TV and lighting equipment in use, but by all accounts Mellencamp’s sweaty performance was hotter still.

“Back Where We Started” is set to air in December and will feature as many as six of the Crump performances together with numerous interviews of people who were part of Mellencamp’s early career.

Check It Out

 

Commentary
By Mike Leonard

The motivation to stage a John Mellencamp concert in the crumbling Crump Theater in Columbus came out of brainstorming for a new cable television series, tentatively titled “Back Where We Started.”

The concept is to take someone both famous and accomplished — Mellencamp’s induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this year pretty much set his legacy in stone — and go back to take an in-depth look at that person’s early years.

“It was perfect for us to have John as the premiere for the series because for this kind of show to work, we need someone who is both prolific and been in the business a long time,” explained Anthony Uro, executive director for original programming for Stage 3 Productions, a Philadelphia firm. “It wouldn’t work with someone who was famous for five years and then went away. Or someone who has done the same thing all their lives.”

The film crew has gone to impressive lengths to tell the story of Mellencamp’s beginnings. Uro said on Wednesday that when filming is completed they will have interviewed 17 people on camera, ranging from Mellencamp and his wife, Elaine, to Mellencamp’s old friends and one-time bandmates from his hometown of Seymour. Current band members also have been interviewed, as well as musicians from the “Johnny Cougar” years such as Robert “Ferd” Frank. They even interviewed this columnist, based on his coverage of Mellencamp over the last 25 years.

Mellencamp admitted at Tuesday night’s performance that he remembered playing at the Crump 32 years ago but he didn’t remember much else about it. The once-grand art deco palace clearly is in dire need of renovation before too much decay sets in. Workers had to construct a new fire escape from the balcony and install new seats just to get the place ready for the show some Columbus residents called the biggest thing to happen for years in that handsome but sedate city.

Mellencamp and band performed a typically professional and dynamic show. The star and his audience laughed together when he tried to reach back into his bag of golden oldies and repeatedly got partway into a song and then muffed the words. “Bring back the band!” he called out, chuckling after about three false starts.

That the 56-year-old performer couldn’t immediately recall songs he hadn’t played in 30 years was no surprise. What was unexpected, and a real treat, was the three-song opening set by a mixed show choir from Columbus North High School — an ensemble with the anachronistic name of The Debuteens and Music Men.

The a capella choir gave an ebullient performance of three Mellencamp songs: “Our Country,” “Peaceful World” and “Your Life Is Now.” It was the first time that even ardent Mellencamp fans had ever heard Mellencamp’s music done by a chorale.
Columbus North choral director Janie Gordon said she and her students did all the arrangements and rehearsals between last Wednesday and Sunday — a remarkable feat.

“I pretty much said yes to this before I knew what was going to be involved,” Gordon admitted after the show. “After saying yes, I realized I’d never seen a capella arrangements for any Mellencamp songs, and I’m state chairman for all state vocal jazz with the IMEA (Indiana Music Educators Association).”

It turned out to be both a lot of hard work and an inspiring collaboration with her students. “I couldn’t have done it all by myself. The kids got really inspired and we started taking the songs apart, hearing what instruments were doing what, and then seeing what we could do vocally to make the songs work,” she said.

“I thought it sounded pretty good,” Gordon said. “It was very rockapella.”

The high school vocal performance also introduced an unexpected new component to a program aimed at uncovering the old. Choral arrangements for Mellencamp’s music didn’t exist a week ago. They do now, and they serve to illustrate just how strong some of the Mellencamp catalog is.

The student performance, Mellencamp’s show and the interviews will all be put together into a 90-minute program by Stage 3 Productions. “Back Where We Started” will air on the A&E Biography channel in December or January, depending on when the network decides to launch the new series.

Click HERE to view the online photo gallery.
 

In response to the $700 billion Wall Street bailout currently being considered by Congress, the Farm Aid Board of Directors Willie Nelson, John Mellencamp, Neil Young and Dave Matthews sent an open letter to Congressional leaders urging them to redirect funds to farm communities and working men and women, where they can be better used to address our country’s economic, environment, energy and health crises.

Please read the letter below and pass it on to your friends and family.

September 25, 2008

Dear Congress,

As you consider the distribution of $700 billion to the very banks and corporations that have gotten our country into the mess we’re in now, we ask you to pause for a moment and consider what that money could do for the people who build our country from the ground up… for our schools, healthcare system, our states, cities and towns, alternative energy development, the homeowners who were the pawns of the banking and mortgage industry. As the Board of Directors of Farm Aid, we want to alert you to what a mere $1 billion could do in the hands of the people who grow our food.

American family farmers are the backbone of our economy, the first rung on the economic ladder. For 23 years, we’ve worked to keep family farmers on the land. But it’s not enough just to save family farmers; we have to create new farmers. When farms fail, Main Street businesses fail. The opposite is true too: When farms thrive, Main Street businesses and local communities thrive. Far from Wall Street, family farmers are creating real wealth, producing real value, growing from seeds and sunlight a product that nourishes us both physically and economically. Supporting diverse decentralized family farming will do far more for the stability and vitality of our country than a handful of global agribusiness corporations could ever do.

The proposed $700 billion bailout asks taxpayers to foot the bill without giving them the opportunity to share in any gains. A $1 billion investment in family farm agriculture would enrich us all, because we are all shareholders of the family farm. The return on investment in the family farm includes thriving local economies, nutritious food for better health, a safer and more secure food supply, a cleaner environment and more renewable energy. Investing in local, sustainable and organic food would shorten the distance between eaters and farmers, conserve energy, create economic opportunities and new jobs through innovative processing and distribution systems, resulting in a better, greener, more efficient food and farm economy.

We’ll leave the economic details to the experts, but we know from traveling the highways and back roads of this country that trickle down economic policy has not created wealth for the vast majority of Americans. Let’s start from the ground up. When we invest in our family farmers, we invest in the revitalization of our country.

Willie Nelson, John Mellencamp, Neil Young and Dave Matthews
Farm Aid Board of Directors  

Read More »

In celebration of John's performance at Columbus IN's Crump Theater the town made the following proclamation.

 

COLUMBUS, Ind. (WISH) - A rock and roll legend is returning to the place where it all began in Indiana in order to help a local landmark. John Mellencamp is holding a private concert in Columbus.

The concert is part of an A&E television series called "Back Where We Started." A crew will film the show Tuesday night at Crump Theatre. But before the camera starts recording the theatre needed a little TLC.

Mellencamp wasn't much older than the students that go to Columbus North High School when he took the stage at Crump Theatre on October 4, 1976. The school's choir is wearing shirts say "I sing in a small town". The kids in the choir were thrilled to find out that they are Mellencamp's opening act.

"I left the choir room as soon as we found out and told just about everyone we could find in the hall including my mom and dad," said 17-year-old Grace Smith.

"When I told my mom she totally flipped out. We are Columbus natives and we knew all about him. He's a down to earth guy and means a lot to the community," said Robert Coatsmith, 15.

Coatsmith's mom came to the theatre to watch the group rehearse.

"I think I was a little more excited than he was," she said.

Crump Theatre has a rich history dating back to the 1870's hosting musical and theatrical acts and cinema. The wear and tear is noticeable and over the years. Improvements have been made with limited funding. But with A&E filming and Mellencamp back on stage, improvements kicked into high gear.

The Columbus Capital Foundation has worked to bring the building up to code structurally and spruce it up with the community's support.

"With the Mellencamp concert has been sort of a catalyst for re-invigorating a lot of the people in the community," said Hutch Schumaker of the Columbus Capital Foundation. "They were demolishing an old junior high school and gave us the fire escape."

Schumaker said the sheriff's department even arranged for them to have prisoners on work release come and work on the building.

With a little imagination and lights dimmed low one could even possibly be transported back to 1976.

Only about 600 people will be able to see the concert but ticket sales still raised $42,000 for United Way flood relief. But back in 1976 it only cost $2 to see Mellencamp's show.
Click HERE to read the article online.