iHeart:John Mellencamp Announces 2023 Tour & Performs The Hits At The Rock Hall
By Rebekah Gonzalez - iHeart
September 30, 2022
To celebrate the opening of Legends of Rock: John Mellencamp, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's newest permanent exhibition, Mellencamp himself performed a special live edition of iHeartRadio ICONS at the Rock Hall on the exhibits launch day, Thursday, September 29th.
Fans were able to tune into the exclusive event on the iHeartRadio app via iHeartRadio's The Classic Rock Channel to hear the legendary singer-songwriter perform some of his biggest hits, make exciting new announcements, and answer some questions from Jim Kerr. .
To kick off the night, Mellencamp treated the enthusiastic crowd with a performance of his hit "Small Town" off of 1985's Scarecrow followed by "I Always Lie To Strangers" from his latest album Strictly a One-Eyed Jack. Released in January 2022, it marked the singer-songwriter's 24th studio album. .
Kerr started off the conversation by pointing out how engaged the crowd was. "You could see everybody singing right along with you," Kerr said before asking Mellencamp about the inspiration behind the upcoming reissue of Scarecrow. .
"I did it," Mellencamp simply replied, causing laughter to errupt from the crowd. "They wanted to, so... I don't like to look back. I wrote those songs a long time ago, I played those songs and I'm always looking forward. I'm always thinking about what's coming next as opposed to what's happened." He continued, "But if the market company deems that people want to have this kind of collectors thing then it's fine to me." .
The recently announced deluxe reissue contains a two-CD box set with a remastered version of the album and alternate versions of some of the songs that got Mellencamp inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2008. .
"Can you take us back to that night... to when Billy Joel inducted you?" asked Kerr. Starting off with a wistful laugh, Mellencamp gave another charmingly coy answer, "Yeah. I was there, you know. I remember being there and I remember I didn't go through the red carpet. I went through the back door and they went "Whoa, you can't come in here." And I said, "I'm getting inducted tonight,'" but the singer didn't have a pass. He eventually got into the ceremony but hearing how he almost wasn't let in is pretty hilarious considering he now has a part of the Rock Hall dedicated to his work. .
One of the items included in the museum, contributed by Mellencamp himself, is his very first royalty check. "Which was for, what? $27 or something like that," Kerr pointed out. "But when you opened it up it must've felt like a million bucks." .
"No," Mellencamp responded, much to the delight of the crowd. Kerr then transitioned the event back to the performance, letting the music do all the talking for Mellencamp. .
The singer-songwriter then performed 1987's "Check It Out" from The Lonesome Jubilee and "Jack & Diane" from 1982's American Fool, which prompted a full-blown sing-a-long from the fans. .
Mellencamp took another quick break to discuss some of his upcoming projects including Farm Aid, which he launched with Willie Nelson and Neil Young, and a 265-page coffee table book full of his paintings. He also shared that he has finished writing an album but gave no further details about its release. .
Kerr then had the honor of confirming Mellencamp's upcoming "Live and In Person" Tour which will see the singer play 76 nights starting February 23rd, 2023. .
To introduce his penultimate song, Mellencamp said this track "seems more pertinent today than I did when I wrote it," before launching into "Crumblin' Down" which was released in 1983 and featured on the album Uh-huh. Also from the same album, Mellencamp finished his set with the song "Pink Houses." .
Fans can register now at mellencamp.com for the Mellencamp mailing list presale beginning Wednesday, October 5 at 10:00 A.M. local time. Tickets for the John Mellencamp Live and In Person tour will go on sale to the general public Friday, October 7 at 10:00 A.M. local time. .
Furthermore, in a new contest from iHeartRadio, one lucky winner and a friend will be flying round trip (with hotel accommodations and a $200 ground transportation gift card) to any city and date of their choosing to see Mellencamp on tour, where they'll enjoy the concert with VIP tickets. The fan will also walk away with hand-written lyrics from John himself to one of his songs, and will get to meet the rock icon backstage during a meet and greet. .
Fans were able to tune into the exclusive event on the iHeartRadio app via iHeartRadio's The Classic Rock Channel to hear the legendary singer-songwriter perform some of his biggest hits, make exciting new announcements, and answer some questions from Jim Kerr. .
To kick off the night, Mellencamp treated the enthusiastic crowd with a performance of his hit "Small Town" off of 1985's Scarecrow followed by "I Always Lie To Strangers" from his latest album Strictly a One-Eyed Jack. Released in January 2022, it marked the singer-songwriter's 24th studio album. .
Kerr started off the conversation by pointing out how engaged the crowd was. "You could see everybody singing right along with you," Kerr said before asking Mellencamp about the inspiration behind the upcoming reissue of Scarecrow. .
"I did it," Mellencamp simply replied, causing laughter to errupt from the crowd. "They wanted to, so... I don't like to look back. I wrote those songs a long time ago, I played those songs and I'm always looking forward. I'm always thinking about what's coming next as opposed to what's happened." He continued, "But if the market company deems that people want to have this kind of collectors thing then it's fine to me." .
The recently announced deluxe reissue contains a two-CD box set with a remastered version of the album and alternate versions of some of the songs that got Mellencamp inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2008. .
"Can you take us back to that night... to when Billy Joel inducted you?" asked Kerr. Starting off with a wistful laugh, Mellencamp gave another charmingly coy answer, "Yeah. I was there, you know. I remember being there and I remember I didn't go through the red carpet. I went through the back door and they went "Whoa, you can't come in here." And I said, "I'm getting inducted tonight,'" but the singer didn't have a pass. He eventually got into the ceremony but hearing how he almost wasn't let in is pretty hilarious considering he now has a part of the Rock Hall dedicated to his work. .
One of the items included in the museum, contributed by Mellencamp himself, is his very first royalty check. "Which was for, what? $27 or something like that," Kerr pointed out. "But when you opened it up it must've felt like a million bucks." .
"No," Mellencamp responded, much to the delight of the crowd. Kerr then transitioned the event back to the performance, letting the music do all the talking for Mellencamp. .
The singer-songwriter then performed 1987's "Check It Out" from The Lonesome Jubilee and "Jack & Diane" from 1982's American Fool, which prompted a full-blown sing-a-long from the fans. .
Mellencamp took another quick break to discuss some of his upcoming projects including Farm Aid, which he launched with Willie Nelson and Neil Young, and a 265-page coffee table book full of his paintings. He also shared that he has finished writing an album but gave no further details about its release. .
Kerr then had the honor of confirming Mellencamp's upcoming "Live and In Person" Tour which will see the singer play 76 nights starting February 23rd, 2023. .
To introduce his penultimate song, Mellencamp said this track "seems more pertinent today than I did when I wrote it," before launching into "Crumblin' Down" which was released in 1983 and featured on the album Uh-huh. Also from the same album, Mellencamp finished his set with the song "Pink Houses." .
Fans can register now at mellencamp.com for the Mellencamp mailing list presale beginning Wednesday, October 5 at 10:00 A.M. local time. Tickets for the John Mellencamp Live and In Person tour will go on sale to the general public Friday, October 7 at 10:00 A.M. local time. .
Furthermore, in a new contest from iHeartRadio, one lucky winner and a friend will be flying round trip (with hotel accommodations and a $200 ground transportation gift card) to any city and date of their choosing to see Mellencamp on tour, where they'll enjoy the concert with VIP tickets. The fan will also walk away with hand-written lyrics from John himself to one of his songs, and will get to meet the rock icon backstage during a meet and greet. .