John Mellencamp Avoids Recent Issues in Rocking Fayetteville Performance
John Mellencamp has had his share of live performance issues lately, but thankfully he managed to avoid those Wednesday night during his Fayetteville performance at the Crown Theatre.
The Fayetteville crowd seemed to be a breath of fresh air for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member. Recently, Mellencamp has experienced heckling during his performances and has even walked off stage due to arguments with attendees. This was not the case Wednesday night as the audience doted over Mellencamp during his performance.
One audience member did try to start a chant during the performance but he was ignored by all guests and due to the lack of attention, he faded back into the crowd.
This was not a textbook rock concert. Fiddler player Lisa Germano explained that John wanted his show to be “more of a performance than a rock concert.” This explains the short, black and white film clips from movies such as “Hud,” “The Grapes of Wrath,” and “A Street Car Named Desire” which played for the first twenty minutes of the night.
Germano went on to tell a story about Mellencamp’s lifelong friend, Joanne Woodward, who suffers from Alzheimer’s disease and has not spoken in years. Audio of Joanne Woodward played over the theatre speakers while Germano and the band played soft music. It was a beautiful tribute to Woodward.
John Mellencamp performed songs from his earliest days that made the crowd feel nostalgic such as “Jack and Diane,” “Small Town” and “Jackie Brown.”
He got political but without protest from fans when introducing “Eyes of Portland.” He gave a short but passionate speech about there being a homeless problem in America and how we need to take care of the people around us.
The American icon ended the night with two top hits, “Pink Houses” and “Cherry Bomb.” With the crowd already on their feet, they cheered and clapped with arms raised high in the air. While Mellencamp took in the crowd, waving, he promised one more song. He closed the night with an energizing performance of “Hurts So Good” which kept fans cheering until the house lights came on.
Future stops on the John Mellencamp “Live and in Person” tour include: Washington D.C., South Carolina, Virginia, and Georgia.
John Mellencamp Fayetteville Set List:
- John Cocker
- Paper in Fire
- Minutes to Memories
- Small Town
- Human Wheels
- Jackie Brown
- Troubled Land
- Check it Out
- Eyes of Portland
- Longest Days
- Jack and Dianne
- The Real Life (Tribute to Joanna Woodward)
- Rain on the Scarecrow
- Lonely Ol’ Night
- What if I Came Knockin’
- Crumblin’ Down
- Pink Houses
- Cherry Bomb
- Hurts So Good
