Top weekend shows: John Mellencamp, Mavis Staples, Syl Johnson

John Mellencamp: The singer-songwriter is coming off an intriguing series of albums emphasizing his songwriting and his debt to roots blues, country and folk, a direction that may shake up his shows from greatest-hits routine, 6:30 p.m. Friday-Saturday at Chicago Theatre, 175 N. State St., $53.58, $84.37; $104.84, $138.18; ticketmaster.com.Mavis Staples: The soul matriarch is enjoying one heck of a renaissance in the last decade, most recently recording an album with Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy, “You’re Not Alone,” that is among the best of her career, 8 p.m. Saturday at Park West, 322 W. Armitage, $30; etix.com.
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