John Mellencamp will hit the road this summer for his first-ever greatest hits tour, which lands at the new Mystic Lake Amphitheater in Shakopee on July 14.
Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Jan. 23 through Ticketmaster. Citi cardholders have access to a presale that runs from 10 a.m. Jan. 20 through 10 p.m. Jan. 22.
The Indiana native formed his first band as a teenager and later moved to New York City to pursue a career in music. There he met David Bowie’s infamous manager Tony DeFries, who signed Mellencamp and insisted he adopt the stage name Johnny Cougar.
But after Mellencamp’s 1976 debut album “Chestnut Street Incident” flopped, he parted ways with DeFries and hooked up with Rod Stewart’s manager Billy Gaff. He scored his first hit, “I Need a Lover,” in 1979.
From there, Mellencamp became one of the biggest hitmakers of the ’80s with songs like “Hurts So Good,” “Jack and Diane,” “Crumblin’ Down,” “Pink Houses,” “R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A.,” “Paper in Fire” and “Cherry Bomb” landing in the Top 10.
With that success, Mellencamp reclaimed his birth name. After releasing his biggest-selling album — 1985’s “Scarecrow,” which he says launched the alt-country genre — Mellencamp helped organize the first Farm Aid with Willie Nelson and Neil Young. The benefit concert was a hit with audiences and has been staged annually ever since, most recently celebrating its 40th anniversary with a show at Huntington Bank Stadium in September.
Mellencamp hit the Top 10 a final time with 1994’s “Wild Night” and has spent the decades that have followed focused on more personal, intimate music.
His upcoming tour will see him playing some of his biggest hits that he hasn’t performed live in years.
