Mellencamp opens “No Better Than This” tour at auditorium

He may not be “The Boss” (his contemporary Bruce Springsteen has that title), but John Mellencamp knew who was in control this weekend.

Opening the second night of his two-night stay in Bloomington this weekend, Mellencamp and his band launched into “Authority,” roping the audience by their ears and their hearts into a non-stop two hour set.

Mellencamp, the Grammy Award winner and Bloomington resident, kicked off his “No Better Than This” tour with two nearly sold-out audiences each night.

Freshman Andrew Browning said he missed the opportunity to reserve tickets for Mellencamp’s opening night concert during the initial ticket sale. But after the auditorium released a block of tickets last week, Browning leapt at the opportunity to see the show — a choice he said he did not regret.

“I had been wanting to go to one of his concerts since I heard he was coming to Bloomington, and three days before the show I got an e-mail from the IU Auditorium about more tickets being released to the public,” he said. “My girlfriend and I jumped all over that opportunity and got some great balcony seats. He is such a great artist, it would have been a huge bummer to miss his stop in Bloomington.”

Freshman Deanna Daly, who accompanied Browning to the show, said she was impressed that Mellencamp would launch his tour at the birthplace of his career.

“I think it is a smart move on his part to start the tour in Bloomington,” she said. “It is his hometown, and the show was bound to be a sell out.”

At each performance, Mellencamp confessed that the auditorium shows have not been his first stop since 1984, despite living so close to IU — a fact he continually reminded the audience about.

“I’ve seen some of you around town before,” he joked, sending the audience into applause.

Mellencamp launched his career at the nearby Bluebird Nightclub in 1975. However, at this weekend’s performances, Mellencamp’s prior successes played second fiddle to his career’s second act.

His past two albums have moved away from the driven, polished sound of past singles such “Hurt So Good” and toward a more folk and country influenced tone. This is the age of Mellencamp through the filter of current acts such as Band of Horses and Monsters of Folk: darker, edgier, bolder.

He admitted that he preferred to “look forward rather than behind,” and Mellencamp focused mostly on his new album, the T Bone Burnett-produced “No Better Than This.” Even favorites such as “Jack and Diane” received the revisionist treatment, transforming from its familiar tune into a bouncy, folksy ballad.

Sophomore Matt Saddler said he last saw Mellencamp perform while he was in elementary school — Saddler’s first concert.

A self-professed lifelong fan, Saddler said he was blown away by the concert, largely because of the intimacy between Mellencamp and his hometown fans.

“Throughout the show you felt like there was a huge connection between the fans in the audience and Mellencamp,” he said. “You know he really cares about IU and his fans, and it just creates an incredible atmosphere to watch any performance.”