UNCASVILLE - The Mohegan Sun Arena evening with John Mellencamp held the feeling of a huge gathering of working class neighbors. The vibe in the audience was that we were in for a toned down acoustic set from the 62-year-old Indiana rocker.

       The band quietly walked onto the dimly-lit stage at around 8:20 p.m. The performance area was bare, but cradled a relaxed, homey feel. This was the first show I’ve ever seen at the Sun that did not have any front of house follow spots, which added some mystery to the man of the hour and left the audience, at times, struggling to get a good glimpse of Mellencamp’s face.

       Mellencamp opened with the haunting â€�"Human Wheels,” which is one of his best lyrical writings to date that delves deeply into human frailty. He wasted no time getting into the new cut, â€�"I’m a Troubled Man,” that will be included on the upcoming LP Plain Spoken. A nice bit of personality was let loose as Mellencamp told a heartfelt story about his grandmother, which became a lead-in for the introspective â€�"Longest Days.”

       Mellencamp’s voice was clear and strong and has weathered the years nicely.

       â€�"I’ve come a million miles and 40 years to get here tonight,” Mellencamp told the appreciative crowd.

       With just a guitar and a stripped down version of the six-piece band that accompanied Mellencamp, he launched into phenomenal renditions of â€�"Jack and Diane” and â€�"Small Town,” in which he joked about his three marriages: â€�"Don’t know if it’s the town or me … probably me.”

       Mellencamp led the audience in a sing-along of his 1987 melodic track â€�"Check It Out,” which was lifted off by violinist Miriam Sturm, giving Mellencamp a chance to lay down his six string and just sing freely. Taking off his jacket and letting loose with the rest of the band in tow, they barreled their way through â€�"Rain on the Scarecrow,” â€�"Paper in Fire”--during which he flubbed a lyric and laughed it off without skipping a beat--and â€�"Crumblin’ Down.”

       Mellencamp was back on electric guitar for a dragged out version of â€�"Pink Houses,” on which Sturm performed an incredible solo that garnered a kiss from the singer when she finished. Mellencamp steered the show into a patriotic direction as he introduced ”Authority Song,” telling the crowd he wrote it in his twenties and it still holds the same truths for his rebel ways now.

       Mellencamp ended his set with an enthusiastic sing-along to â€�"Cherry Bomb.” Returning for an encore, Mellencamp reminded us when it all began as he leapt into his first big breakthrough hit, â€�"Hurts So Good.”

       The set played on the short side with several noticeably missing tunes like â€�"I Need A Lover,” â€�"Wild Night,” â€�"Ain’t Even Done With The Night,” â€�"Lonely ol’ Night,” â€�"What If I Came Kockin’” and â€�"Peaceful World.” A performance by an artist with 20 albums in the vault could have engrossed us with more than a 17-song set. No matter, the audience spent the brief encounter with their working class idol dancing in the aisles and singing the night away.

      

      

       SET LIST

       Human Wheels

       I’m a Troubled Man

       Minutes to Memories

       Check It Out

       Jack and Diane (acoustic)

       Longest Days

       Small Town

       New Hymn

       Rain on the Scarecrow

       Paper in Fire

       Crumblin’ Down

       R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A.

       Pink Houses

       Authority Song

       Cherry Bomb

       Encore:

       Hurts So Good