John Mellencamp shut down a raucous heckler in the audience at his Toledo, Ohio concert Sunday, briefly exiting the stage after multiple testy exchanges with the crowd.
Mellencamp was telling a story in between songs when a concertgoer yelled “play some music,” prompting loud boos and groans from the rest of the audience, a video posted to TikTok shows.
No stranger to testy exchanges with his audiences, Mellencamp fired back at his heckler.
“What do you think I’ve been doing, you c——–?” Mellencamp is heard saying in the video, prompting chuckles from his audience. “Here’s the thing, man. You don’t know me. You don’t f—— know me. Hey Joe, find this guy and let me see him after the show.”
As Mellencamp went to resume his story, another heckler shouted “Authority Song,” in what seemed to be an attempt to get the rock legend to play his 1983 hit from the album “Uh-HUH!”
A clearly frustrated Mellencamp replied, “Guys, I can stop this show right now and just go home.”
“Tell you what I’m going to do. Since you’ve been so wonderful, I’m going to cut about 10 songs out of the show. Here we go,” he continued, kicking off a rendition of 1982′s “Jack and Diane.”
Mellencamp sang just two lines from the song before declaring, “Know what? Show’s over” and walking off stage, prompting dismay from the crowd and at least one person to shout, “We love you,” according to the TikTok video.
Many in the crowd took the star at his word and began making their way to the exits as the lights came up, according to Music blogger Out of the Blue. But, Mellencamp returned to the stage with a performance of “Rain On The Scarecrow” after the heckler was removed.
Ultimate Classic Rock, citing The Toledo Blade, reported Mellencamp told another heckler they should “go back to kindergarten.”
Mellencamp performed in Worcester earlier this month, taking the stage at The Hanover Theatre on March 11, according to his official website.
