John Mellencamp
Daley Plaza, Chicago (August 21, 2000)
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John Mellencamp
Daley Plaza, Chicago
August 21, 2000 |
The Hoosier daddy has spent the last two weeks or so stopping unannounced at various cities for brief, acoustic and free downtown sets, and on Monday, August 21, Mellencamp bum-rushed Chicago's Daley Plaza (that's where they got that Picasso) for a 45-minute treat for the lunch crowd. Snarling both traffic and, presumably, afternoon productivity, the Hoosier hero mixed a few originals and a folksy, eclectic set of covers that gave the show as much of an informal, backyard feel as you can get while surrounded by towering offices.
"This isn't a concert -- we're just playing in the street," Mellencamp said early on. "I'm not selling anything, not promoting anything. We're just giving something back to the fans."
Flanked only by accordionist Mike Flynn, Chicago fiddler Merritt Lear and two amps that looked like they just came out of his basement, the former Cougar opened with a violin-based, melancholy "Small Town" that the sea of lunching Chicagoans largely sang for him (while Elaine Irwin shot future Mellencamp home video of the proceedings). The crowd also took care of the vocals on "Pink Houses," which featured longtime violinist Miriam Sturm, but it was the soft, bluesy rendering of "Key West Intermezzo" that stood out among the three originals. Woody Guthrie's "Oklahoma Hills" was a bit of a surprise inclusion, as was "Cut Across Shorty" and a Stones two-step of "Spider and the Fly" and "Street Fighting Man," the latter of which featured Mellencamp guitarist Mike Wanchic. Rounding things out were "All Along The Watchtower" and the Bo Diddley-esque "Gimme Some Of Your Love."
The crowd, jazzed by its surprise gift (on a Monday, no less), was in high spirits throughout the show. Businesspeople remained plastered against their windows, and some distant fans set up camp atop surrounding buildings. And although only a hastily posted note on mellencamp.com served to alert fans of proceedings, once word had leaked out (judging by the obnoxiously high level of signs, one radio station had apparently been promoting the show all morning), the noontime crowd had swelled to an estimated -- though probably generous -- 15,000.
It was a hell of a stunt for the increasingly unpredictable Mellencamp, and one of the finer lunch hours Chicago's seen in a while.
JEFF VRABEL | Jeff Vrabel may look like your average, strapping Midwestern-type, but lurking inside him is a passion for all things Springsteen, "Weird" Al, and regrettably, the Chicago Cubs. He's touched Britney Spears. He knows Slash's phone number. Obey him at all costs.