Bob Dylan/Willie Nelson/John Mellencamp

5:30 p.m. Thursday, July 2. GCS Ballpark, 2301 Grizzlie Bear Boulevard, Sauget, Illinois.

The irony of Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson and John Mellencamp touring minor-league ballparks is as rich as their combined estates. It's not like these Hall of Famers are headed for the farm anytime soon. With 2009's Together Through Life, Dylan continues his post-prime hitting streak, smacking the blues into every corner, crushing vowels like so many high hard ones. Nelson's batting average is somewhat less fearsome (this year's collaboration with Asleep at the Wheel swings but rarely connects), but that's partly because he releases records with the frequency of steroid scandals. The Coug is the wild card in this lineup, with an ego that makes A-Rod look like a Celestine monk and a recent taste for working out with anti-outlaw types such as Kenny Chesney. But a chance to see three aces of American song hold court — in Sauget, Illinois, no less — should not be missed.