Shut Up at John Mellencamp’s Concerts

Here’s a little ditty about minding your own damn business: John Mellencamp fired a proverbial warning shot at fans who have taken a liking to treating his concerts like a dive-bar happy hour, a change in behavior that recently culminated in the musician storming off a stage in anger. “I do expect etiquette inside of the theater, the same way you would at a Broadway show,” he told the Washington Post. (Someone alert the Shubert organization.) “My shows are not really concerts anymore. They’re performances, and there’s a difference between a performance and a concert. Look, I’m 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.” Mellencamp’s April 10 comments follow a March incident where, according to local outlets, hecklers at a Toledo concert grew frustrated with his talking breaks and demanded he return to his set list. Mellencamp declared, “Show’s over,” and left the stage for several minutes before agreeing to return. In May 2023, he also told unruly Cleveland concertgoers to “shut the fuck up” during another monologue. Next, he’ll tell us we can’t go punching people in the face for no reason.

• [washington post]

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