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Tag Archives: Plain Spoken

Mellencamp Playing Theaters to Avoid Drunks

Tickets go on sale today for John Mellencamp’s 2014 North American tour, which will land at Chicago Theatre in February.  Most of the 80-date tour will see Mellencamp will in theaters and performing arts centers this time around.  

He tells GMI Rock, “I just couldn’t do it anymore. I can’t go in front of f*cking 10,000 drunk people and play. There’s just nothing there to do for me with that. I’m a musician. I’m a songwriter. You’re here to hear music, if that’s what you want to do and you think it’s worthy. But I’m not here for your folly and your throwing up, too. I really have no interest in doing that.  That’s why I quit playing those places – not to mention I have a hard time selling the places out.  So you start looking at, ‘OK, well, I’m not selling these places the way I used to. I don’t enjoy playing these places ‘cause there’s a bunch of drunk people. It’s fine if people want to be drunk and dance to music; that’s what those places are for, but that’s not what I want to do.” 

The Chicago dates are February 17 and 18 supporting his new album “Plain Spoken,” which comes out Tuesday. .  Check out the advance track, "Troubled Man."

-Spencer