The Good Samaritan Tour 2000 (2021)
1. Small Town
2. Oklahoma Hills
3. In My Time of Dying
4. Captain Bobby Stout
5. Key West Intermezzo (I Saw You First)
6. All Along the Watchtower
7. The Spider and the Fly
8. Early Bird Cafe
9. Hey Gyp
10.Street Fighting Man
11.Cut Across Shorty
12.Pink Houses
Now here’s a curious one. The Good Samaritan Tour 2000 is one of those releases that probably slipped under most people’s radar—and judging by how low-key the whole thing is, that may have been the point. Supposedly, Mellencamp took to the streets (sometimes quite literally), gathering a few fellow musicians and showing up in random towns across the country to play free shows for whoever happened to be around. “We ain’t promotin’ nuthin’, and we ain’t sellin’ nothin’!” he shouts proudly to the crowd at one point. No one seemed to mind either way.
If that sounds a little gimmicky on paper, the music itself doesn’t suffer. The performances are acoustic, intimate, and surprisingly solid. It’s mostly a set of covers—old folk, blues, and roots standards—with a few Mellencamp originals peppered in here and there. It’s the kind of thing you’d expect to hear around a campfire, and that’s exactly the charm of it.
Mellencamp has long since abandoned any interest in recreating his MTV glory days, and this tour—if you can even call it that—feels more like a passion project than a professional endeavor. And that’s the best thing about it. He’s not trying to sell records or chase radio play. He just wants to play songs that mean something to him, and if a few folks gather around to listen, all the better.
No, it’s not essential listening, and it’s not going to change anyone’s mind about Mellencamp one way or the other. But for fans who appreciate the stripped-down, no-frills version of the guy, this is a pleasant listen that captures a rare, off-the-grid side of his career.
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