Singer-songwriter John Mellencamp will be the second 1980s rock star to visit Brandon in a year when his “Sad Clowns & Hillbillies Tour” hits the stage at Keystone Centre’s Westoba Place on October 24.
Mellencamp is following a successful concert by Canadian rock icon Bryan Adams, who visited the city in November of 2017. That show was a sell-out and Keystone Centre management is hoping for similar attendance results this fall.
“We work with a number of different promoters and groups, and we’ve been talking with this one for a long time. We’ve been working on it for a number of months and we are happy to seal the deal and get the date in place. When the tour was announced, we wanted to be a part of it,” said Keystone Centre marketing and sponsorship manager Krista Kowaluk, who added that more than half of the seats were sold as of early this week.
“For Brandon, which is a last-minute town, this is a great indication of how well his concert is going to go over.”
Mellencamp’s two-month, 23-stop tour through Canada – which will also include Prairie-province dates in Winnipeg alongside Estevan and Saskatoon, Sask., and Lethbridge and Cold Lake, Alta. – follows a pair of successful concert circuits through the United States last year.
The shows are supporting the artist’s 23rd studio album, Sad Clowns & Hillbillies, which was released in late-April, 2017. The LP includes collaborations with writer and vocalist Carlene Carter, the daughter of June Carter Cash and Carl Smith.
Tickets for the Brandon show went on sale June 1.
“This is a big show for the Keystone Centre,” Jeff Schumacher, general manager of the Brandon facility, said in a press release. “John Mellencamp will be one of the most recognizable names our facility has seen. His music spans generations and genres. We’re looking forward to it.”
The “Sad Clowns & Hillbillies Tour” opens on Sept. 26 in Moncton, N.B. and will close in Abbotsford, B.C. on Nov. 14. Reviews from the American tour suggest Mellencamp will perform hits from throughout his almost four decades in the music industry alongside the 13 tracks from his latest album.
Fans with floor seats attending the show in Brandon will get an especially authentic feel to Mellencamp’s uniquely rural brand of roots rock. The concert is kicking off the 2018 Manitoba AG EX provincial agricultural exhibition, which runs from Oct. 25 to 28 at the Keystone Centre.
“This show will take place with the arena set up for the exhibition,” Kowaluk said. “Those with tickets on the floor will have dirt flooring, which is unusual compared to other concerts we’ve hosted.”
For more information on the concert or to purchase tickets, visit Mellencamp.com or the Keystone Centre’s website at tickets.keystonecentre.com.
