Letting his anger get the best of him, John Mellencamp walked off the stage after cursing and shouting at fans during his Toledo, Ohio show on Sunday, April 14.
The heated exchange between Mellencamp and some of the audience members started when he was sharing a story about his grandmother when a heckler tried to shut him up by yelling he should “play some music.” The crowd booed and Mellencamp appeared pretty unhappy with the remark.
“What do you think I’ve been doing you [expletive],” John Mellencamp declared. Refusing to let the remark go and continue the show, he said, “Here’s the thing, man, you don’t know me. You don’t [expletive] know me.”
Mellencamp then addressed the rest of the audience by telling them to “find this guy and let me see him after the show.”
After another fan-turned-critic loudly demanded he play the Authority Song, John Mellencamp was done with the audience. “Tell you what I’m going to do,” Mellencamp said. “Since you have been so wonderful, I’m going to cut about 10 songs out of the show.”
He then started teasing his hit song Jack and Diane, but quickly stopped. “You know what? Show’s over.”
The Toledo Blade reported John Mellencamp did end up returning to the stage about five minutes later. He sang a couple more songs, including Rain on the Scarecrow, Lonely Ol’ Night and Pink Houses.
He had also allegedly told another interruptive audience member they “should go back to kindergarten.”
John Mellencamp Spoke Out About the Dramatic Ohio Performance
Following the Ohio show, John Mellencamp spoke to the Washington Post about how he approaches his shows as he ages. Although he didn’t mention the Toledo show specifically, he stated the inappropriate behavior at his shows hit him “sideways.”
“I do expect etiquette inside of the theater,” he explained. “The same way you would at a Broadway show. My shows are not really concerts anymore. They’re performances, and there’s a difference between a performance and a concert.”
John Mellencamp pointed out that he’s not “for everyone” anymore. “I’m just not. And if you want to come and scream and yell and get drunk, don’t come to my show.”
In other words: Don’t expect Mellencamp’s shows to be like other concerts and be prepared for more performances with storytelling instead of just him playing his songs.
Mellencamp is currently on tour until early fall. He is expected to return to Ohio for a September show at Cuyahoga Falls’ Blossom Music Center.