Tom Cochrane/John Mellencamp
Pacific Coliseum, Vancouver, Canada
18th February, 2008

View: lovely

With so many rock and roll dinosaurs stumbling along the touring trail these days, it was great to see these two pull it off. Tom Cochrane and Red Rider opened the evening with an enthusiastic Human Race. Playing like a kid again, Tom lead the band through a tight set, with such highlights as White Hot, No Regrets, and Life Is A Highway. As an encore, Boy Inside The Man brought the house down. Then Mellencamp hit the stage for what proved to be an inspiring and grassroots effort. Pink Houses and Check It Out were energetic, solid performances. His four-song acoustic set, complete with background silhouettes, was thought-provoking, with some newer material. Rain on the Scarecrow got the crowd going again, and Jena was performed with passion and commitment, proving that Mellencamp is still a great songwriter and vocalist. Encouraging the crowd to dance, they roared through Crumblin Down, ROCK In The USA, Jack & Diane, and Authority song. At one point Mellencamp even threw himself into the crowd, a daring feat for a 56 year old rock poet. He brought old and new, political and popular songs to the show, and the result was immensely fulfilling. There’s dtill gas left in the tanks of our aging rock heroes.

Reviewed by Lorne Johnston
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