aaamusic | On 29, Jun 2011

American heartland rocker John Mellencamp is set to play a series of live dates in Europe in July, including his first UK shows in almost two decades. Taking in 14 dates, including three in the UK, Mellencamp will perform his greatest hits and tracks taken from last year’s full-length No Better Than This, released through Rounder Records. The album was recorded at various historic locations including Sun Studio in Memphis, the First African Baptist Church in Savannah, Georgia and in the same San Antonio, Texas hotel room where Robert Johnson recorded in 1936.
Performing in Manchester, London and Glasgow, Mellencamp will bring his staple heartland rock back to UK shores. Intent on giving his fans an unforgettable night given his lengthy absence from UK live scene, Mellencamp will be searching deep into his back catalogue to bring unique performances, detailing his musical journey over the past 35 years.
Mellencamp says: “We’re no longer trying to replicate greatest hits as you heard them on the records.  We are looking to rediscover the music that we’ve made in the last 35 years and present a larger repertoire and reimagining the songs that you think you know. We are hoping to strive to discover new ways of presenting the music as such, not as spectacle and we have no desire to be the equivalent of a human juke box. At the very heart of this is the blues and the spirit of rock and roll that we all love.”
Known for his compelling, everyman storytelling, John Mellencamp was inducted into the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame in 2008 and was recipient of the Woody Guthrie Award in 2003.  Consistently hardworking with a hugely impressive repertoire of over 20 studio albums, these UK tour dates see the long awaited return of one of America’s all time great singer songwriters.
UK tour dates

 

1^st July – O2 Manchester Apollo, Manchester

2^nd July – HMV Hammersmith Apollo, London

3^rd July – Royal Concert Hall, Glasgow