John Mellencamp To Bring The Plain Spoken Tour To Australia February 2016
10.14.2015 - He puts on one of the most electrifying shows in the business.’
‘...he is still finding ways to push his limits as an artist.’
The anticipated return of John Mellencamp With special guest JEWEL and country music artist Carlene Carter
Australian audiences can see John Mellencamp during a seven-date tour of Australia in February 2016, supported by a special international guest, singer and songwriter Jewel.
The US musician – whose extraordinary list of honours includes a 2001 Billboard Century Award, the Woody Guthrie Award in 2004, a Grammy Award and the Americana Music Association Lifetime Achievement Award for Songwriting – was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame in 2008. In 2012 he was awarded the John Steinbeck Award, which is given to artists who capture "the spirit of Steinbeck's empathy, commitment to democratic values, and belief in the dignity of the common man”.
Tickets go on sale at 10am (local time) on Friday October 23 for performances in Perth, Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide, Canberra and the Hunter Valley.
Visa cardholders can purchase advanced tickets through Visa Entertainment. The presale for performances in Perth, Melbourne, Sydney, Canberra and the Hunter Valley start from 10am (local time) Tue 20 Oct to 10am (local time) Wed 21 Oct
www.visaentertainment.com.auNATIONAL TOUR DATES
Perth: Saturday February 6 at Sandalford Estate, Swan Valley
www.ticketek.com.auMelbourne: Tuesday February 9 at Rod Laver Arena
www.ticketek.com.auSydney: Friday February 12 at Allphones Arena
www.ticketek.com.auHunter Valley: Saturday February 13 at Roche Estate
www.ticketmaster.com.auBrisbane: Tuesday February 16 at The Riverstage
www.ticketmaster.com.auCanberra: Thursday February 18 at AIS Arena
www.ticketek.com.auAdelaide: Saturday February 20 at Oakbank Racecourse
www.ticketmaster.com.auIndiana-born John Mellencamp burst on to the Australian scene in 1979 with his first hit, I Need a Lover.
His enduring success has continued throughout 40 years of playing and touring and Mellencamp is well known to Aussie audiences for songs, such as Jack & Diane, Paper in Fire, Small Town, Cherry Bomb and R.O.C.K in the USA.
Indeed, Australia has played an important role in Mellencamp’s success, with seven top 20 hits and 10 top 20 albums climbing the local charts. He has sold more than 1.5 million albums in Australia and his single I Need A Lover was top five in the local charts – the best result in the world – a fact he acknowledged in his last tour Down Under in 2008.
Two albums, Scarecrow (1985) and Lonesome Jubilee (1987), have gone five-times platinum in Australia, while The Best That I Could Do: 1978-1988 is triple platinum.
Mellencamp also created the benefit concert Farm Aid, with fellow music icons Willie Nelson and Neil Young. The fundraiser for American farmers recently celebrated its 30th anniversary.
Mellencamp recently completed the 80-date Plain Spoken tour of North America, earning rave reviews for what was described as “one of the most electrifying shows in the business”, blending a catalogue of powerful anthems and popular hits.
As one Australian reviewer summed it up in 2008: “Mellencamp’s songs are iconic enough to do all the talking, and performing, for him”. His tour was a “a perfectly selected, weighted and delivered set from an undeniable rock legend”.
Mellencamp will be supported by Alaskan singer-songwriter Jewel, performing songs from her extensive catalogue and latest release Picking Up the Pieces. Since her debut Pieces of You in 1995 which featured the massive hit Who Will Save your Soul, Jewel has established herself as one of the most successful musicians of her generation with powerful mentors including Bob Dylan, Merle Haggard and Neil Young. A storyteller at heart, Jewel also has written her memoir, Never Broken, authored two children’s books, and a pair of successful children’s albums.
Mellencamp will also be joined by country singer and songwriter Carlene Carter. Daughter of country music legends June Carter Cash and Carl Smith, Carter’s career took off with the album I fell in Love in 1990. During her career, Carter has recorded twelve albums and released more than twenty singles, with 3 peaking at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts. Her latest album titled Carter Girl was released by Rounder Records in 2014
