My first John Mellencamp concert was in 1986. My most recent (there had been a few other Mellencamp concerts in between) was on February 1, 2008.

My birthday.

Gee, thanks. Don't be too enthusiastic.

Much has happened in those 22 years. For example, the band's personnel has changed dramatically. The Cougar-Mellencamp band I recall fondly consisted of the likes of Kenny
Aronoff, Larry Crane, Toby Myers and Jonh Cascella (RIP). During The Lonesome Jubilee tour (arguably his best tour) in 1987, my brother got up on stage and sang "Pink Houses" with the band.

Since then, the John "Cougar" moniker has been dropped altogether. Now he's just plain John Mellencamp.

As for me personally, let's see, well I did lose my virginity.

With that image firmly planted in all your minds, Mellencamp hit the stage at 9pm on a stormy, wintry Montreal night. Tom Cochrane and Red Rider were the opening act. Cochrane was actually outstanding and even managed an encore. Many of the songs performed in the storyteller's one hour set were classic Canadiana songs that were perfect on a night like this one. He closed and rocked off the stage with "Life is a Highway" which capped off a solid set.

Then it was time for John Mellencamp.

Mellencamp wasted no time. With a sharp backdrop that showed a combination of old video footage and images of American life he opened with "Pink Houses." This set the theme and tone of what the evening was going to be about: Americana. Specifically, family, farming, community, race, politics and country with an obvious dash of the down to earth and rebellious streak that once upon a time earned him the nickname "Little Bastard."

At one point during the show, the band left the stage and Mellencamp stood alone with his guitar. This drew in an intimate moment for three songs as Mellencamp told stories
before each song. It was indeed Springsteen-esque and Mellencamp showed that his story telling abilities were still humourous, vibrant and passionate. He closed this portion of the show with an acoustic version of "Small Town." Following the classic hit from Scarecrow, a friend leaned to me and said, "many people may not appreciate this enough. Mellencamp let his artistic blood flow."