John Mellencamp excites, engages at the Benedum Center in Pittsburgh

PITTSBURGH – The house lights dimmed, the Benedum Center's stage curtain rose, and there in the darkness came the sight of a teeny-tiny red circle of fire.

John Mellencamp taking a few final puffs of a cigarette before showtime.

No, Mellencamp has not kicked the habit, he admitted on Monday's opening night of his nearly sold-out two-night Pittsburgh stay, even conceding the nicotine probably will shave years off his life. Though then again, his grandmother reached 100, and his father is now 93 "and his girlfriend is younger than mine," the 71-year-old Mellencamp said, so he's got genetics on his side.

Pittsburgh fans learned a few things about the iconic rock star Monday via some entertaining stories and banter, like how he insisted fans were witnessing a performance, not a concert. The biggest reveal simply was this: He still rocks and rolls mightily.

Mellencamp's smoke-coarsened voice sounded magnificent, somehow adding genuineness to his steady supply of blue-collar lyrics. From the "going to work on Monday/Got yourself a family" of "Check It Out" to the "suck it up and tough it out/And be the best you can" advice in "Minutes to Memories," Mellencamp's vocal grit, go-for-the-gusto singing, and animated stage gestures all sounded and felt utterly sincere and full of wisdom.

Looking garage mechanic chic in a dark jumper with rolled-up sleeves, Mellencamp commanded the stage, launching with the bluesy-rock "John Cockers" where he emphasized the chorus about knowing many, many people, "But I ain't got no friends."

"I'll be your friend, John," shouted a woman in the emboldened audience dominated by Boomers and elder Gen-Xers.

Mellencamp's tight and accomplished band achieved excellence all night, led by violinist Lisa Germano, whose strings swipes brought beauty and energy, powering selections like "Paper in Fire." Mellencamp applauded her solo in "Human Wheels," which also benefitted from the accordion squeezes of Troye Kinnett.

Mellencamp's engaging stage gestures included a priest-like blessing in "Small Town" after the "that's probably where they'll bury me" sentiment, and amen-ish hands together at the gravesite moment of "Jackie Brown."

Exchanging an electric guitar for an acoustic one, Mellencamp set up "The Eyes of Portland" ― from his forthcoming album "Orpheus Descending" ― with the touching story of a homeless young woman he met and financially helped in Oregon's largest city. An amusing story about his 100-year-old grandmother plotting ways to get the swear-word-prone singer into heaven led to "Longest Days."

Still strumming an acoustic, Mellencamp dug into "Jack & Diane," which turned into one of the loveliest audience sing-alongs you'd ever hope to hear. There was nothing cliched about it; Mellencamp would sing a line then stop on a dime, confident fans would sing the next line loudly and warmly, which they did. Unlike two of his most recent Pittsburgh area appearances, western Pennsylvania fans didn't botch the second verse.

More:Scott Tady: Mellencamp plays Pittsburgh so let's get the lyrics right; and Vento-Granati team on album

An interlude with the recorded voice of Mellencamp's friend, Hollywood star Joanne Woodward, reciting the singer's "The Real Life" got accompanied by elegant violin and accordion as the singer briefly left the stage. Maybe he was backstage Googling info on nicotine patches.

Mellencamp returned to the stage and hit one of the night's hard-rocking zeniths with "Rain on The Scarecrow," led by stark, stout drumming. A string of six hits closed out the show, starting with a jubilant "Lonely ol' Night," then "What If I Came Knocking" where Mellencamp sang with a thrilling, heightened zest.

The loose and lively "Crumblin' Down" segued smoothly into the Van Morrison-penned "Gloria," with Mellencamp spryly spinning an amorous narrative that paraphrased Frank Zappa's "Dinah-Moe-Humm" before the glorious "G-l-o-r-i-a" payoff.

It was around that point where Mellencamp helpfully advised the fellas that women like a little spooning and appreciate foreplay.

Fans got up and danced as the set ended with "Pink Houses," "Cherry Bomb" and "Hurts So Good" all sounding resplendent.

A pretty flawless show except for the "opening act," which sparked considerable booing.

With Turner Classic Movies sponsors of this tour, audience members seated for the advertised 8 p.m. start were greeted by a 30-minute video of scenes from classic films spanning the 1940s through the early 1970s that had inspired Mellencamp. We saw scenes from James Dean's "Giant," Paul Newman's "Hud," Marilyn Monroe-Clark Gable's "The Misfits," "The Grapes of Wrath," "Paper Moon" and a Marlon Brando trifecta of "The Fugitive Kind," "On The Waterfront" and "A Streetcar Named Desire."

Audience members grew weary of the dialogue-heavy film clips, which might have a better chance of succeeding if shortened to meet today's attention spans. Besides the loud booing, fans impatiently shouted for Mellencamp to take the stage before quietly surrendering. It felt a little flat at that point, until the video screen disappeared and Mellencamp appeared on stage, literally and figuratively smoking.

Fans headed to his Tuesday show had good reason to be excited.

Scott Tady is entertainment editor at The Times and easy to reach at [email protected].