Say it's not so, John. Singer John Mellencamp made the headlines after having a meltdown with a heckler at a recent show. It led to him walking off the stage for several minutes.
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But if you've been following Mellencamp's career, you'll realize that the singer has had a fractured relationship with his fans for some time. For instance, let me take you back to March 2023. The singer reportedly told the crowd to "Keep your f--king mouth shut." This came after the crowd became rowdy during one of his acoustic performances.
Then May 2023, a similar story happened. A heckler told him to "play the f--king music." Mellencamp had been giving a speech, reportedly criticizing the United States. "If these people don't shut the f--k up I'm just going to leave, OK?" Mellencamp said. "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."
Finally, we come to his latest performance meltdown. Someone told him to "play the music" after Mellencamp got political in nature. The singer then lost his cool. "What do you think I've been doing, you c------r?" he responded. "Here's the thing, man. You don't know me. You don't f--king know me. Hey Joe, find this guy and let me see him after the show."
John Mellencamp Leaves The Stage
It led to Mellencamp losing his cool and stopping "Jack and Diane" to walk off stage. He did later return to play a few more songs, but he appeared to be rattled by the exchange. Recently, Mellencamp opened up about his concerts. He honestly doesn't care if fans come to his concerts or not.
Mellencamp compared his shows to Broadway. He said they weren't a place for drinking and partying.
"I do expect etiquette inside of the theater, the same way you would at a Broadway show," Mellencamp told The Washington Post.
"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," he added.
Mellencamp has drew a lot of backlash online, and people have even roped in Bruce Springsteen, calling both musicians out of touch.
