John Mellencamp doesn’t take kindly to loud concertgoers, at least not on his current Live and In Person tour. In fact, he almost cut his recent concert in Cleveland short because of one rude and loud member of the audience.
According to the Cleveland Scene, signs posted in the Connor Palace lobby read “this show respects theater etiquette,” and at one point Mellencamp even told concertgoers, “I don’t like people screaming from the f***** audience.” But that didn’t stop one attendee.
Mellencamp was saying something that the outlet suggested “could be construed as criticizing the U.S.” when one loud concertgoer screamed at him to “play the f****** music.” Well, Mellencamp didn’t like that.
“Listen, hey, you guys, if these people don’t shut the f*** up I’m just going to leave, OK?” Mellencamp told the crowd. “Because I’m not used to this crap. Look, guys, if I wanted to play in this type of drunken environment, I’d play outside or I’d play in an arena.”
The audience did eventually quiet down and the show went on, with Mellencamp treating the crowd to such classics as “Small Town,” “Pink Houses,” “Jack & Diane” “Hurts So Good” and more.
Mellencamp’s Live and In Person show is set for a second night in Cleveland on Friday, May 26, with shows confirmed through June. A complete schedule can be found at mellencamp.com.
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