I grew up listening to hard rock, which I still enjoy to this day. But some time around 1983 I started growing disillusioned with the direction hard rock was taking - it was either hair spray and silly outfits or very negative.
Enter JCM. "Uh-Huh" came out in the autumn of 1983, and I heard "Play Guitar" and "Pink Houses" on the radio. At that point I didn't know who he was, but soon discovered that he was the bloke responsible for "Jack & Diane", "I Need A Lover" and "Hurts So Good". I liked what I heard but somehow couldn't be bothered to seek out his albums or find out more about him.
Fast forward to the summer of 1985. I happened to read a rave review of John's then current album, "Scarecrow" in an edition of Kerrang! I hurried to the nearest record shop, took the album home and gave it a spin. It knocked me out, I could relate to every song, John and his music spoke to me loud and clear.
I saw John live in concert in 1988. It was a wonderful show but what sticks out most in my memory is a young woman who was seated next to me. She came from a small town in Indiana, so when John and his band played "Small Town", it was a very emotional moment for her that brought tears to her eyes. I realised then that John touches people because he is a very real person singing about real stuff. I'm sure that is why we are all his fans here in this community... 

Awesome walktall2010, thanks!

Were you there? I seem to remember it was a very good show, and
John often seemed overwhelmed by the reaction of the audience.
He certainly had everyone singing and clapping along.

I was at John's gig in Lausanne (Switzerland) on January 22, 1988, and enjoyed the show tremendously. Can anyone help with the setlist from that night? I seem to remember it was a very long show, and there was no opening act.
Any info is welcome, cheers