John Mellencamp Community

First Artist Announced to Play 165-Year -Old Agricultural Fair Tickets for Heartland Rocker, Champion of Farmers, go on sale February 17

A special performance of American heartland singer-songwriter John Mellencamp is the first Grandstand show announced for the 2017 Great Allentown Fair. Tickets to his Thursday, August 31 concert go on sale starting at 10 a.m. Friday, February 17th. A John Mellencamp performance has been a rarity in the Lehigh Valley and a never-before occurrence at the fair. This summer the Grammy Award-winner embarks on a tour that includes some of the nation’s top agricultural fairs.

His commitment to Farm Aid, the nonprofit organization he co-founded in 1985, has raised over $48-million to keep family farmers on the land through a resilient family farm system of agriculture fair. Talent Buyer Bonnie Brosious said, “This Hall of Famer with an iconic Americana songbook is also a true champion of American farmers. ‘To have him perform at our 165-year old Agricultural Fair that recognizes the achievements of farmers, gardeners and homemakers is an honor,” she added. Currently and through September, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Museum based in Cleveland s featuring a special exhibit of artifacts representing the life, art and music of Mellencamp. Calling the Indiana native “one of rock and roll’s most enduring artists,” Hall of Fame President/CEO Greg Haris said, “His authenticity and ability to tell stories that resonate with multiple generations of fans is testament to his art.

John Mellencamp’s career in music, spanning more than 35 years, has seen him transition from pop star to one of the most highly respected singer/songwriters of a generation. Mellencamp is incredibly acclaimed; he is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, a Grammy winner, a recipient of the John Steinbeck Award, ASCAP Foundation’s Champion Award, The Woody Guthrie Award and Americana Music Association's Lifetime Achievement Award and more recently, the Founders Award, the top honor assigned by the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers. He is also one of the most successful live concert performers in the world. The social activism reflected in his songs helped catalyze Farm Aid, the concert series and organization that has addressed the struggle of American family farmers for more than 25 years. John Mellencamp’s upcoming full-length album, Sad Clowns & Hillbillies, featuring Carlene Carter, is his 23rd over the course of a remarkable career, is set to be released in April followed by an upcoming summer tour in major cities across the country. Sad Clowns & Hillbillies returns Mellencamp to the musical eclecticism that is, itself, a reflection of his wide-ranging musings on life and showcases a poet who has wisely used the years between youth and the present day to become an absolute master of songwriting and interpretation. That passion and experience resonates most beautifully in this showcase of his music. John also wrote the title song for the upcoming film, The Yellow Birds, an American war film directed by Alexandre Moors and based on the novel The Yellow Birds by Kevin Powers. The film stars Tye Sheridan, Jack Huston, Alden Ehrenreich, Jennifer Aniston, and Toni Collette.

Mellencamp is also recognized as an accomplished painter fusing German expressionist and American neo-expressionist styles. Not surprisingly, his oil painting subjects are everyday Americans much like the characters in his popular songs. His style has progressed over the years as evidenced by several gallery shows and published portfolios, and in recent years he has increased his output by completing over 100 new works. His pieces were shown in 2012 at the Tennessee State Museum in Nashville under the title “Nothing Like I Planned: The Art Of John Mellencamp” and, more recently at the Butler Institute of American Art in an exhibition entitled “The Paintings Of John Mellencamp.” “The Paintings of John Mellencamp” traveled to the Museum of Art-DeLand, Florida and John’s art was showcased at the ACA Gallery in New York.

The unique instrumentation of his band and his poignant songs about everyday life in the American heartland, are widely credited with being the forbearer of the Americana/No Depression genre of rural-inflected music. An extraordinary collaboration performed by an ensemble cast of 15 actors and a four-piece live band, comprised of members of John Mellencamp’s band is The Ghost Brothers of Darkland County, a musical with music and lyrics by John Mellencamp, a libretto by author Stephen King and production by T Bone Burnett. The show is being further developed in London, though King and Mellencamp are no longer as actively involved. As a consummate artist, John has acted in films “Falling From Grace,” “After Image” and “Lone Star State of Mind.” Mellencamp continues his journey as the walking embodiment of heartland rock; passionate, plain-spoken, and a self-proclaimed rebel.

Tickets are $89, $75 and $59 and include admission into the fair.
For more information, visit the fair’s web site at www.allentownfairpa.org.

 

So psyched and looking forward to the upcoming tour!  :)