September 17, 1987, was just another night at famous Bloomington, Indiana, rock club, the Bluebird. Local band Ragin' Texans were on the bill, but patrons who dropped in for some live music that evening got a lot more than that.
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With the night being just two days before the kickoff of Farm Aid III at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, Nebraska, John Mellencamp and his band thought it would be the perfect place to stop by and run through a few tunes as a warmup. Needless to say, the people at the bar that night were more than happy with the unexpected surprise.
Also on the bill for Farm Aid III: Lou Reed, who must've gotten the memo about the Bluebird. After Mellencamp leads the club through a rousing rendition of "Little Pink House," he casually announces Lou Reed to the stage. The crowd goes wild, and even breaks into chants of "Lou!" Reed plugs in and runs the band through a greatest hits set including "Walk on the Wild Side," “Sweet Jane,” “Rock & Roll,” and “I Love You, Suzanne."
Thankfully, someone had the good sense to capture as much of it as possible on film, and the video has just hit Youtube. The video poster shares that after Mellencamp and Reed, none less than the recently departed music legend, John Prine, hopped onstage to play a few songs as well. Sadly, Prine's performance was not caught on camera. Watch the incredible footage of John Mellencamp and Lou Reed below.
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