Time can do a lot of things to a band.

For most, it applies pressure until the band snaps at the seams over personality conflicts or monetary issues, letting it dissipate into the annals of musicology. But for John Mellencamp and his band, time has given the members experience to let their music evolve into something organic -- a mirror of Americana over a 30-year span.

"The music has progressed simply because over the years we've learned so much more -- we've gained a deeper knowledge of music and the history of music," said Mike Wanchic, guitarist for John Mellencamp for more than 30 years. "The older you get, the more you have to draw from."

When Mellencamp and his band play the Bryce Jordan Center (BJC) Friday night, the audience will get to experience this evolution of music. For a while, though, it seemed like that progression would never come to fruition.

After releasing three albums, the artist formerly known as Johnny Cougar and his band were at a make-or-break point. Then they released American Fool in 1982.

"People think of American Fool as our first record -- that was actually our fourth record; we had three records edging up on career-enders that came out prior to that," Wanchic said.

American Fool would go on to produce Billboard chart toppers such as "Hurts So Good," "Hand to Hold On To," and the No. 1 song "Jack and Diane."

"To have a hit record, a lot of things have to coalesce. You have to have time, place, politics, tastes, trends; all this stuff has to sort of converge into some kind of vortex where everything meets and it just creates a hit record and creates a hit act," Wanchic said. "It doesn't necessarily mean you're better than anyone else; it's just you and the public happen to meet at the same moment."

With more than a dozen albums since that fateful rendezvous, Mellencamp and his band may have clung to a similar style, but the focus has shifted dramatically.

Mellencamp, who writes the songs himself and then has his band collaborate on guitar hooks and drum beats, has changed the tenets of his lyrics from relationship woes to American social commentary.

"One of the responsibilities of real writers is to chronicle things going on in society," Wanchic said. "That's an important aspect of being a conscious writer; otherwise, what are you writing about? Teenage love? Angst? That doesn't have anything to do with us."

Mellencamp, who is highly interested in racial equality and macro political issues across the United States, will not base the set around politics but rather the human drama.

"He's probably about as American as you can get -- when you think of John Mellencamp you think of America, the Midwest and just popular Americana," said Bernie Punt, BJC director of public relations. "He has a definite distinctive sound and many imitators; you're looking at one of the best artists you're ever going to see live."

The set itself will start with the traditional Mellencamp blockbusters, and then Mellencamp will begin a solo acoustic set offering new interpretations of his older work.

The band will later come back on, play some more hits and also play some unreleased tracks, Wanchic said.

"It's a good balance of all aspects of our careers," Wanchic said. "It's fun, but the lyrics have very serious content -- [they're] not necessarily weighted with gravity but with things that are important."

Punt said negotiations with the promoters allowed for the reduced student price of $27.50. Wanchic said inexpensive concerts are an important aspect of expanding one's music tastes.

"Because [concerts are] expensive, people have to pick and choose a little more carefully now because money's tight. They're more protective over which concerts they're going to go to," Wanchic said. "What I see now are really dedicated, really core audiences and crowds."

The band has been playing many secondary markets in order to reach those core audiences that Wanchic describes as the "real America."

"A lot of times the best thing to do is to go out and play for them. You gotta go to these other cities to meet your real audience," Wanchic said. "We're not some Hollywood wonder child -- we're a band of the people."