Pegged early on as a Bruce Springsteen for the trailer-park set, John Mellencamp carved a niche for himself in the mid-'80s by embracing his Midwestern roots and playing straight from the Heartland. While alleged Americana rockers such as Springsteen and Tom Petty chilled in their coastal mansions, Mellencamp remained a committed Indiana native, refusing to sell out or make commercial concessions to broaden his appeal. Slowed by a 1994 heart attack, the self-proclaimed Little Bastard now ventures into the spotlight sporadically. Without a new album to promote, the fifty-year-old Mellencamp has a whole career's worth of amphitheater-ready hits -- from 1979's "I Need a Lover" to 1996's "Key West Intermezzo (I Saw You First)" -- at his disposal. Backed by a seasoned-if-predictable nine-piece band, Mellencamp's brief summer tour might be his only public venture this year. And though he's no longer a hot chart property, Mellencamp's concerts are as vital as ever.
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