John Mellencamp doesn’t care for audiences talking back to him, and folks in Ohio learned that lesson the hard way.
Video circulating on TikTok shows Mellencamp being heckled by an audience member at his Toledo show on Sunday, March 17, and giving him a piece of his mind.
In the clip, Mellencamp is telling the audience a story when someone yells out, “play some music,” to which he responds, “What do you think I’ve been doing, you c*********?” He adds, “Here’s the thing, man. You don’t know me. You don’t f***** know me.” He then addressed someone in his crew named Joe, telling him to ” find this guy and let me see him after the show.”
Mellencamp then tries to continue his story but is interrupted a second time with a request to play “Authority Song,” prompting the rocker to respond, “Guys, I can stop this show right now and just go home.”
The audience then starts to get loud, at which Mellencamp informs them, “Tell you what I’m gonna do. Since you’ve been so wonderful, I’m gonna cut about 10 songs out of the show.” He then begins performing “Jack & Diane” before stopping to inform the audience, “Y’know what? Show’s over.”
According to The Toledo Blade, Mellencamp did walk off the stage, although the concert wasn’t actually over. He eventually returned and treated the crowd to classics like, “Rain On the Scarecrow,”“Lonely Ol’Night ”and “Pink Houses.”
The paper notes, “Overall, John Mellencamp’s return to Toledo was a mostly joyous experience, despite the presence of a few rude Toledoans who need to learn proper etiquette about behaving in public.”
Mellencamp’s tour hits East Lansing, Michigan, on March 19. A complete list of dates can be found at mellencamp.com.
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