John Mellencamp Reviews

Ken from Los Angeles, California

JOHN MELLANCAMP

Knock out performance by Mellancamp. His gritty take on our tumultuous times was bracing. Band was s-o-l-i-d. Electric violinist soared. The great Emmylou Harris was not in the best of form vocally but still a treat to heat.

from Houston, Texas

JOHN MELLENCAMP HOUSTON

Stellar performance,his voice was strong and the band was tight,the venue is the nicest i have ever seen .John had the entire crowd on their feet for almost the entire show,the old man still has it,energy was high from John and the crowd,third time seeing him but its been 20 years,totally impressed!

Chris McGee from Arlington, Texas

GREATNESS ON TOUR

Carlene Carter still sounded solid as she opened the show. She even went out to the merchandise table after her set for pics and autographs. She would return several times throughout the night. Emmylou Harris can still sing, though her voice isn't quite as strong as it once was. John put on a great performance, with a backing band that was phenomenal. Of particular note was the fiddle player and the bass player. The fiddler definitely kept the energy of the crowd up for the whole show. The bass player was amazing as he switched between his 4 string, 6 string, and upright bass. This was an amazing concert, I was 5 rows from the stage and enjoyed every minute of it.

Debbie Lewis from Winnipeg, Manitoba

FABULOUS!!°

John Cougar Aced it, and his band was awesome. Loved ,loved, loved. My daughter who has a heart condition was on her feet the whole time. What a wonderful entertainer. Love ya John.!!

Cynthia from Ottawa, Ontario

MELLENCAMP IS FUNNY, CARING AND BRILLIANTLY TALENTED!

It was the perfect combo of humour, politics and music. He told us hilarious but very touching stories when playing his new songs... he let us sing along to his old stuff and corrected us when we forgot a verse and went right into the chorus... and had a running gag throughout the whole concert about how Canadians should build a wall to keep the Americans out (and that it'd only need to be a few feet tall to confuse the USA nowadays).

Cynthia from Buchanan from South Bend, Indiana

GREAT SHOW IN SOUTH BEND INDIANA

For any doubters out there at age 67 John Mellencamp has still got it. The show was fantastic! He rocked it with old favorites, new songs and some ballads. Audience sang along, people danced in the aisle. Always a great time when you see John Mellencamp!

Ken from Peoria, Illinois

JOHN MELLENCAMP IN PEORIA

wow....wow....wow...the first performance where the performer made sure the audience received his best talent and integrity

Steve from Kalamazoo, Michigan

KALAMAZOO MILLER AUDIITORM

It was an awesome show (although I could have done without the 20 minute film before the actual show). Seen him twice before the first time being at Wings Stadium in 1986 and then DTE in Detroit like 20 years ago, The sound at Miller is audio perfect, great mix of new material, old tunes and some stories. He told this great story about his grandma that was funny, touching and I think the tune was named "Even the longest days are the shortest days" one of the best tunes he's ever done. Looking at some previous set lists think got a few more oldies than some other locations. For a guy that had 3 heart attacks in the past he's got an amazing amount of energy as does the band, If you get the chance see him it's well worth your time and money

Tim Torres from Tucson, Arizona

MELLENCAMP TUCSON 4-28-19

I expected nothing but the best from JM. He delivered on all notes. I have seen him five times and all were great. Being a fellow Hoosier and the biggest fan west of the Mississippi, he just keeps getting better with age. Since his song Paper and Fire which I believe was a changing moment in his songs, he truly has expressed his deepest words in his songs instead of the pop stuff. The intro was a bit long(video) but I get it. Not everyone knows his true story. Love you John...keep rocking. your #1 fan.

Diane from Tucson, Arizona

MELLENCAMP ROCKED TUCSON AZ 4-28-19

I saw him perform for the first time and am familiar with his music since Jack and Diane. He is awesome! I loved it when he called out the loud, annoying, screamer sitting behind us! He was hilarious! Definitely will see him again!

Tony from Tucson, Arizona

MELLENCAMP TIMELESS IN TUCSON

I have been a fan of John Mellencamp since 1979 and have enjoyed his music for 40 years. I know some people thought the intro was a tad long but if you listen to the message I thought it was well worth watching. I thought he and his band were great! I would have loved to hear a few more old tunes but I get it that you won't hear everything. I liked the smaller venue as I have become less of a fan of large concert arenas. To hear a man who is a couple years shy of 70 still putting out the music like he does I thought it was a timeless performance.

Brent Nickolaus from Atlanta, Georgia

JOHN MELLENCAMP AT FOX THEATER

Let’s commence the sound people on this concert because most concerts the sound is fair at best… The drums where super tight and sounded immense.. The guitars ripped with heavy crunch and the bass was tight and deep. Piano and violin 🎻 sounded smooth as butter.. lastly the vocals were smooth and up in front in the mix and not baried as usual at most concerts.. Johns voice sounded strong and the band was extremely tight… Finally I get to see a live performance that was done the way a live performance should be done… AAA+++

Susan Naumann from Orlando, Florida

GREAT SHOW!

John Mellencamp put on a great show. We sang along and danced through most of the show. So fun! The crowd however was overall grumpy. They were angry about the movie and yelled through most of it. Friends, please, if you don't want to stand up, participate, and have fun....stay home, sit on your couch and watch it on your devices!!!!!

Ann from Fort Lauderdale, Florida

STILL ROCKIN' AND WE'RE LOVING IT!

Great evening last night. A wonderful mixture of old and new music. Band was tight seemed to be having a great time too. Good stories and some reminders of the fact that there are issues that need to be dealt with in the USA! Loved John bringing up a fan on stage to dance with her. A truly happy moment. To the woman in front of me who took video footage of most of the songs and then spent time editing them during the next song, you missed a great night. Try going to a show and being present. It is an amazing experience. Thanks for a great night, John!

MaryEllen from Long Island , New York

MELLENCAMP AT THE SAENGER THEATER NOLA

I totally understand all the negative comments about john. He’s a bit gruff and even to the people that butter his bread. But in all honesty I have to just get past that. I have been attending his shows regularly since 1986. I have traveled to other states to see him. His music makes me move and his band is extremely tight. It’s rock and roll the way I love it. If you go to the show and listen to the music without screaming out unsolicited requests you, everyone around you and the band will enjoy the night! I travelled from New York to NOLA to see him and he DEFINITELY DID NOT DISAPPOINT! Looking forward to seeing him at The Beacon in New York in June, a local show.

Kelly S from Houston, Texas

HOUSTON SHOW WAS GREAT!!

Complaining about 30 min movie clips before the show? Really? John’s voice is rougher, but still strong. Crowd on their feet for a lot of the show even though an older crowd. Know who he is before attending. Complaining about his politics is ridiculous. He’s always been a fighter for the down trodden. Loved his non hits.

Helen from New York, New York

THANKS FOR A GREAT EVENING!

I’m glad I didn’t read any reviews before I went. I like to judge for myself. Yes the 25 minute pre performance black and white movie clips seemed odd. In the end, the clips seemed to point to serious monologues and social topics in the news today. I was impressed by the energy and choreography of the band. When the screen raised and the four musicians stepped in unison, for me it was like watching the 4 horsemen stepping forward to attack. Was there foul language? Yes, and I don’t care. We’re there touching stories? Yes, and I do care. And was the audience engaged? Yes! Very engaged and except for a scant few immature individuals, they were respectful; dancing, singing, laughing, and when called for, silent. Thanks for a great evening Mr M and friends.

Shannon olsen from Portland, Oregon

GREAT ENTERTAINER

Music was great. Message was great. Love JCM. One of a kind performer! Talented, Caring, and Says what needs to be said. Thank you for a great evening! Take care - I'd see you when you were 100 like your grandmother if I'm still here!

from Vancouver, British Columbia

HE’S STILL GOT IT

Wow!!!! Just wow!!! At 72 this man can still belt it out as though he were 30 again. Been a Mellencamp fan since the early 80s. The o LT thing I miss is the ripped jeans and rocker look

Richard Katz from Seattle, Washington

JOHN ROCKED BUT THE AUDIENCE WAS RUDE

He was great and personable but the audience not so much— rude, drunk and not really wanting to hear the show. He actually had to say something to people who were screaming and not letting him sing. Seriously Seattle audience was disgusting laughing at serious stuff, tell him to fast forward through a story and screaming stupid stuff as he told us about a song or life moment. It was so bad that our whole row found other seats

Stew Mc from Seattle, Washington

GREAT SHOW BY A SOLID PERFORMER.

Great show by a solid performer. Rarely do the performers of the 70'2/80's generation enough energy from the audience to have people literally standing almost the whole show. Mellencamp seemed to enjoy the show - despite some gent (idiot as he called him) trying to get him to sign a book in the middle of the show. Mellencamp pointed this out to the person in between songs and shook the persons hand as they both apologized. A few songs later Mellencamp signed the book and joked to the audience about it. Anyway, back to the show. Solid performance from Mellencamp and all band members - most notably a great fiddle player who gave it her all.

Peter from Winnipeg, Manitoba

GOOD SHOW

John sounded great still, good banter and fan interaction. Sang most of our faves. The backdrop could have used a bit of work and coming out for one song for the encore would have been a nice touch but overall very good.

Eng Headson from Baltimore, Maryland

MELLENCAMP @ BALTIMORE

Music was good. Venue and mix acoustics left something to be desired. 25 min biopic was a waste of time.

from Providence, Rhode Island

GREAT SHOW AT A GREAT VENUE

Overall great show. A mixture of old and new. Only negative was no encore. Don’t bands do that anymore? PPAC is always awesome to see an event, there are no bad seats. I would definitely see Mellencamp again.

Lee Hagwood from Charlotte, North Carolina

MELLENCAMP IN CHARLOTTE

I have loved John Mellencamp since I was a teenager and still love his music. At 68 it’s impressive that he is still touring. With that being said, it will be the last time I spend mo eh to see him. Why? Let me put it this way....one week before seeing Mellencamp, I went to see Eric Church....there is a huge difference in the feeling I got between the two shows. Eric Church looks as if he is having fun performing and interacts with fans and is just down right enjoyable to watch. Mellencamp? Not so much. To me, it seems as if it’s a job, Yes I k ownit really is his job and that’s fine but I just didn’t like the feeling I got. We were in the 6th row somI was able to watch him closely. I’m glad he didn’t discuss politics as he and I are on different ends of the spectrum in that regard. I didnt appreciate that after his song about injustice, he kneeled. It’s his prerogative and I get it, Injust didn’t appreciate it. Do I love his music? Absolutely! Good show not a great show.

Emelia from Portland, Oregon

46 YR OLD

Great show! Crowd was annoying, glad he shut them up. We paid good money to hear him play, not the loud clapper (off beat) in front of us. Respect is elementary. Respect the artist & respect the fact everyone paid to see him perform. Leave your gas/ farting to the lobby/ restroom. He is 71 doing what most of you can’t at 50. Flew from MSP to PDX to see a living legend and we are grateful for the opp. he has a heart and cares about his talent & ppl. So nice to see from someone who makes so much $$$ Tickets were a gift to my Mom who also grew up in a small town♥️🙏🏾

Chris from Ottawa, Ontario

OK PERFORMANCE

Having seen Mellancamp before, I knew what I was in for. The 20 Minute Into movie had Graffiti on the screen (Not sure if it was intentional or not, but it was distracting.) The band was solid, but John Mellancamp's vocal range has seen better days. Noticeably absent from the Setlist were ROCK in The USA, Hand To Hold On To and the classic Hurts so good. Most of the attendees were over 50 and it felt a bit like going to your high school reunion to play listen to some John Mellancamp's songs around a campfire. Mellancamp is entertaining but his acoustic Sing along of Jack and Diane was lame and his banter with the Ottawa audience was a bit weak. Light show was poor, but the Sound in the arena was acceptably good.

J White from Spokane, Washington

JOHN MELLENCAMP CONCERT SPOKANE

John sounded great! Too bad he didn't play more of his top hits that the crowd who paid would have loved to hear. His story telling of how he reached his potential and his song lyrics was not in line of his policical stance of today . I I enjoyed seeing him, but I probably will not attend another concert of his again.

John Smith from Albuquerque

BIG LET DOWN!

My wife and I saw John Cougar in Albuquerque on April 30th, 2019. We are both 57 and we enjoyed listening to his music during HS and college. Cougar and Segar were bucket lists for us as far as seeing old rockers. We saw Segar a few months ago and he was very good. (No political views, just songs) Cougar played at the Kiva Auditorium, which is inside the Convention Center. The concert was sold out, and it appeared that most people were our age or above 50 yoa for the most part. We felt that it was very hot inside the Kiva, therefore, we were a bit uncomfortable. The show started at 8:00pm. From 8:00 to 8:30pm, we all had to sit through an intro about his life. The audio was low and it was hard to hear over the late arrivals. Not my thing watching an intro for 30 minutes. I want to hear the songs. We came to rock and hear the hits. He did not start with any hits. The first 30 minutes was non energetic and in that 30 minutes he played only "Small Town" At some point, either at the beginning or between songs, Cougar talks about fans who can be drunk and loud and there is no place for it because he wants everyone to hear the music and not hear the loud drunk fan. I would agree with him on that but I questioned it because if you are playing your music instead of talking about Black Lives Matter and other views, you would not hear that loud drunk fan. He also went into a story telling mode. He talked about his dear friend who had been rocking with him for 45 years. He talked about his friend being arrested in ABQ in the 80's. Cougar said that his friend was beat up by two females who he shared a cell with. Not true! Males and females can not share a cell. Again, not enough music and too much talking. He did not play Hurts So Good, Rockin in the USA and I need a Lover. He could have played all these songs instead of telling stories and stating his political views. These songs are part of the reason he can still tour at the age of 67. Old rockers like us want to hear those songs, not story telling, 30 minute into's and political views. Overall, I will not go see him again. We were so looking forward to seeing his concert. Big fans of his back in the 70's and 80's. A big Let Down!

Leann from Houston, Texas

DIDN’T PLAY HIS BEST STUFF

I was so excited to hear the oldies but goodies, but he spent the first 2 hours playing his new material…. very disappointed

Drew from austin, tx

JCM CONCERT

actually just saw him in Austin. I came away disapointed and much to my not suprised googled reviews and found this. Sounds like his banter and crowd admonishment is the same at every venue. The warmup act is old movies so wait about 40 minutes after his start time to miss that bullshit. could have started with i need a lover which is a great riff with electrifying guitar solo, btw he never played it, started with i have no friends, should change the words to i hate my fans. He missed a great opportunity to storytell go through the albums and years. He has a great catalog and i didnt need to hear all the hits but some familiar bside hits would have been cool. No encore. Im more mad at myself than him for overpaying for these tickets and concert. It hurt, but not so good.

Diana from Houston, Texas

TOTAL WASTE OF MONEY

I was SO disappointed in this concert. He didn't play any of the hits I grew up loving. Then he got all political. I left early and didn't regret it. He only played songs that were unknown.

C.H. from Portland, Oregon

DISAPPOINTED

As an '80s graduate from high school, I was so excited to revisit my youth with John Cougar Mellencamp songs. We had an amazing meal, and walked across the street to Keller Auditorium. The vibe was palpable. Then, it all went straight to shit. The whole movie opening thing got old real fast. The audience was actually booing by about the fourth one. I totally get where Mellencamp was going and that Brando and Newman were his idols etc etc. But it was boring and an absolute buzzkill. Finally, he came out and sang songs that I had no idea about. When he started admonishing the crowd for cheering loudly, it was so unnecessary. Then, he actually shit all over the town I live in, Portland, Oregon. God knows we have our issues, but I just felt ashamed to even be living here. It was sad, it was maddening, and I am just plain pissed. What a total waste of money. He had me, and lost me right at the very beginning for the rest of the show. I know I wasn't the only one. I'm sorry that I went.

Michael from Portland, Oregon

BORING

After sitting through close to 40 minutes of Turner classic movies, he comes out and the mix was so bad you could not understand a single word that he sang. The most entertaining was when he yelled at people in the crowd for yelling. We left early after Jack and Diane and even that was pretty boring. He had to give the crowd instructions on how and when to sing. We left early and we’re happy to beat the crowds out of the auditorium. Luckily we won tickets through a local radio station as I would’ve been really mad had a spend the $150 ticket price per seat for my wife and I to see this concert

Glenn f from Orlando, Florida

OVER THE HILL

The venue was great as for John s show he was horrible. First we had to watch a intro for 25 min which was a waste of time. His voice sounds like he smokes 12 packs of cigarettes a day hard to sit through. Then he hits us with his political views my wife and i came to get away from all the bullshit for a few hours. We weren t only ones who felt that way alot of people booed and walked out early as we did. Save your time and money if he heads your way.

Dirk D from Charlotte NC

WASTE OF MONEY

How could Mellencamp be a bad concert? Let me tell you. Too cheap to have an opening band? Have to watch 30 min of movies from the 50s before he starts anything. Seriously only played 4 songs that were previous hits. Not sure what was going on. Of the 4 songs that were popular , he had the crowd song all of it. Been to a lot of concerts, this was hands down the absolute worst. You could not PAY ME to go to another Mellencamp concert. Buy a ticket you will see. Definition of washed up trash loop

F. Barely from Fort Lauderdale

DON’T WASTE YOUR MONEY!

Terrible concert! They showed 45 minutes of old movies to start the concert? The guy is over the hill, not worth the time to see.

Richard L from Sugar Land, TX

EMOTIONAL ABUSE TOUR

Mellencamp's show started out OK, but then after his fourth song he lectured the audience to stop screaming so loudly, "You're not at a bar, " he said. You could feel the excitement leave the venue. His storytelling left a lot to be desired and he came across as a sanctimonious d**k. Sure, he sang his big hits, but he's lucky his band carried him, otherwise they'd have been a bust. If you do go, and need to get a drink, do it right before "Eyes of Portland", unless you like hearing disturbingly judgmental (and likely made up) stories about the homeless and mentally ill. If you need another, do it during his acoustic "Jack & Diane" and listen to the much better radio version on the way home. That way you'll also miss the other lecture about the audience not knowing about verse and chorus. Lastly, I'm willing to chalk up his forgetting his own lyrics several times to his age, but I also can't rule out his being liquored up as a contributing factor. Oh, the acoustics also sucked.

CW from Seattle, Washington

AWFUL AWFUL AWFUL...WHAT A WASTE OF MONEY AND TIME

If there was a choice of ZERO stars, that would be my rating. Weird black and white movies opener, then music that was not nostalgic and stories that put people to sleep. Did not expect such a poor quality show. We left early...could not take anymore.

Diane from Seattle, Washington

JOHN MELLONCAMP

It seemed like his agenda was his causes rather than entertaining us with his music. 30 minutes of old movies to start off the concert was extremely painful to have to sit through. The audience was moaning every time a new one started. His vocals weren't the best and he seems like he didn't want to be there. I believe playing more of his older music would have been positively received by this crowd, I know that's what I was hoping to hear.

Robert from Fresno, California

ONE OF THE WORST I’VE SEEN

The Mellencamp show had to rank in the bottom 3 of all concerts I’ve seen (and I’ve seen a lot)! He talked more than he sang, told (bad) stories more than played music, and when he did play, he did mostly obscure songs and only a few of his hits. Worst than all he was rude to the crowd. Told the audience if we didn’t like it to “leave and get your money back.” Which would’ve been fine if he had the power to reimburse money, but he doesn’t. One women yelled, “Play something we know,” and he told her to “get the eff out!” He was condescending and self-righteous. Maybe someone should remind him that it was those hit songs and his fans that made him. Not his political views and boring tales.

from Fresno, California

COUGAR WAS WORST CONCERT

I must say this was the worst concert ever and the dumb lady behind us yapped the whole time. Started out with old movies because Turner movies is sponsoring him I believe. Weird, negative and depressing vibe. YouTube does him justice. Sound was very poor. Also he talked too much he could have used 30 minutes of storytelling and bs to entertain his audience. Sad event! He actually should be ashamed!

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