Look forward to a heaping dose of rock and Americana at Wharton

FRIDAY, Nov. 3 — Tickets are on sale for rock ‘n’ roll legend John Mellencamp’s performance at the Wharton Center on March 19, 2024.

Mellencamp’s sold-out “Live and In Person Tour 2023” garnered acclaim from a variety of publications, with the Minneapolis Star Tribune stating, “His two-hour effort — part concert, part theater, part stand-up comedy, part social commentary, part self-help lecture and part confessional — added up to a solid evening of entertainment by a beloved '80s and '90s rock hero.”

The “Live and In Person Tour 2024” celebrates his 25^th studio album, “Orpheus Descending,” which was released in June on Republic Records. Mellencamp self-produced the album and recorded it at his own Belmont Mall Studio in Indiana. A press release from his website calls it his most personal album to date, with songs like “Hey God” and “The Eyes of Portland” focusing on social issues that Mellencamp passionately advocates for.

“Awash in death, ‘Hey God’ functioned as a plea for deliverance from senseless gun violence,” the Chicago Tribune wrote. “Preceded by a story about his encounter with a 20-something homeless woman, the solo acoustic ‘The Eyes of Portland’ took aim at the empty ‘thoughts and prayers’ condolences offered as a solution to major tragedies and dilemmas.”

Last year, Mellencamp released his 24th studio LP, “Strictly A One-Eyed Jack” to praise from The New York Times, NPR Music, the Associated Press, The Wall Street Journal, Forbes and more. He also reissued a deluxe edition of his seminal 1985 album “Scarecrow,” which features bonus tracks and other previously unreleased material.

In a review of Mellencamp’s 2023 tour, Forbes wrote, “…it doesn’t appear that Mellencamp has any intention of slowing down or abandoning his trademark feistiness.”

An inductee of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame, Mellencamp has had a highly acclaimed career. Among many other honors, he has received a Grammy for Best Rock Vocal Performance; a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Americana Music Association; a Champion Award and a Founders Award from the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers; and a Woody Guthrie Prize, which honors artists “who best exemplify Woody Guthrie’s spirit and work by speaking for the less fortunate through music, film, literature, dance or other art forms and serving as a positive force for social change.”

Tickets for the East Lansing show are available at the Wharton Center Ticket Office, whartoncenter.com or by calling 517-432-2000 or 1-800-WHARTON.  A limited number of VIP packages are also available, which offer reserved seating, autographed memorabilia, special merchandise and more.