Tweets from the Constitution Hall, D.C. Show

[sugarmarie_1980]

The following one man tweet-o-rama from the Constitution Hall show in D.C. on Tuesday, [ if you have attended a "No Better Than This" show], offers snarkiness with a touch of humor and great insight and [if you haven't attended a show], it will give you insight to a JM show that shouldn't be missed! I've added a few personal insights of my own to a few of the tweets. I'm always interjecting, nature of the beast.

All tweets by:
ctklimek Chris Klimek

Gone Mellencampin'. Some of you may still remember him by his Reagan-era nom du rock, John "Snow Leopard" Mellencamp. Steve Jobs sued. Jerk.

Other former #Mellencamp] aliases: John "Stamos" Mellencamp, John "The Baptist" Mellencamp, John "Blind" Mellencamp, Bob Seger.

It ain't you, #Mellencamp - "No One Cares About Me" is just a tough chorus to coax a hall into singing. But good tune.

"Death Letter." I like my "Pink Houses," too, but this here is the sh*t I came for. Dirty & spooky.

Arcade Fire overexposed? Why? B/c the mere sight of someone under age 90 w/ a fiddle or accordion reminds me of them?

Show's 1st lighting shift brings "Check It Out," a song I'd forgotten for about 15 years that I love.

Ladies squeal when the 60 y.o. onetime Johnny Cougar doffs sportcoat, presumably as a courtesy. [my notes: Um, why yes, I do...ALWAYS when the coat comes off AND shaking his backside to the audience]

Solo acoustic set, w/ song intros & everything. "Save Some Time to Dream."

#Mellencamp: "I don't give a f*ck about the past." Indulges request for "Cherry Bomb.

I submit to you, O Constant Reader," that #Mellencamp has more death songs than any other 80s hitmaker.

...not that "Don't Need This Body" was from the 80s, or the charts.

You ever seen #Mellencamp & #Morrissey together in same spot? Well, HAVE you? Hrrrrmmm.

"...whatever sins you commit, you can just go, 'THAT GODD*MN MELLENCAMP!'"

People who clap along to quiet acoustic ballads: lower than #foodtweet-ers.

Man, #Mellencamp gave up a LOT of his stage patter in his interview w/ Terry Gross a couple years back.

"Jackie & Diane." It's his song, & he can rearrange it near-unrecognizably if he wants to. [my notes...I couldn't agree more!]

"Married a coupla dolls & brought 'em to this Small Town / Now I'm starting to think the trouble's w/ me"

These #Mellencamp rearrs. of the 80s hits are mostly to the tunes' benefit, rescuing 'em from the excesses of the era.

Lotta misbehavior for a DAR show. There might've been fewer yelling morons at #CPAC.

Always interesting to see long-lived artists still doing strong new work grapple w/ setlist problem...

...#Mellencamp is doing very well. 21st c. T-Bone jams really going over. [my notes: Surely, he is referring to "If I Die Sudden."]

I dunno. Bathing stage in pink light for "Pink Houses" seems a litle... pink.

I like to think #Mellencamp has been chewing that same, one piece of gum since 1982.

"R.O.C.K. inna U.S.A." Don't fight it. SUBMIT. [my notes: could become a new Mellenhead mantra]

@allyblah The clapping thing is like showing your appreciation for a painting by writing "ME LIKEY THIS!" on it in Sharpie.

So to compare apples to apples, that Mellencamp gig > Tom Petty show I reviewed in the Paper of Record last year, by a huge margin.

His setlist: Impressive! Rocked the hits, but found much room for deep cuts (Jackie Brown!) & fine, dark recent songs in 130 min. onstage.

@dankois Thanks, Dude. He sang "CB" a cappella... while holding a guitar. He said someone on the street today asked him to play it tonight. [my notes: does he really believe this or have I just been to too many shows and know the schtick?]

[jrbedwell]

People who clap along to quiet acoustic ballads: lower than #foodtweet-ers.

Lotta misbehavior for a DAR show. There might've been fewer yelling morons at #CPAC.

So, I was at this show. Really solid show, as I've seen him maybe 10 times or so, and he never disappoints. I was appalled at the lack of consideration by the audience, though, and I've been to hundreds of concerts.

1. Some lady in the section next to mine stood up and clapped and yelled for the entire first hour of the show. She even did it during the quieter acoustic parts and, as a bonus, she wasn't even on the beat - at times, it was like random clapping. It was somewhat comical at first, and then it got ridiculous. Her entire section started yelling "Stop clapping!" and eventually, security came and she ended up leaving. Some guy even threw a cup at her as she was being taken out. Bizarre.

2. A few idiots near the top yelled "we're from Dundalk!" and other similar nonsense, again during the quieter times. I guess they were trying to continue the negative stereotype of Dundalk.

3. I had the misfortune of sitting in front of two chatty women, one who was with her son. Naturally, they yelled out dumb comments at times when JM was trying to talk to the crowd or give some of his stories, and they talked in loud voices throughout the show. Eventually, her son asked her to stop yelling. They also talked so much during the show that I started looking for an open seat somewhere else. They left with about 6 songs left, so I was able to watch the end in some peace.

I just don't get people. Sorry for the rant, but it was pretty disappointing - I get precious few chances to see this man play live, so I don't really want to hear you talking about fluff the entire time. Fortunately, JM put on a terrific show as usual, but my feeling at the end was a little bittersweet.

Things I really enjoyed:

- the slapping stand-up bass used in a couple of songs - thought that was pretty cool considering that parts of the album were done in Sun Studios.

- John's stories and talks with the crowd. He's still funny, poignant, takes a jab or two at the government, and gives me something to think about when I leave.

- "Jackie Brown." Always gives me chills when he plays it. Just a very sobering and thoughtful song. Next to "Theo and Weird Henry", it's probably my favorite of his.

- I hadn't been to a JM show in about 5 years, so it was great to see him in such a small venue. I was planning on introducing my fiance to JM live, but she was too sick to attend, which was a bummer. Next time.

- Thought it was interesting that they introduced him as being from Bloomington. Maybe they were talking about where he resides now? Seymour isn't Bloomington. Not a big deal, but I found it interesting.

- Got to see some Indiana University gear in the crowd. Being a transplanted Hoosier in Baltimore and an IU grad, that was pretty cool.

- Coming off the heels of Lady Gaga entering the Grammy's in an egg or whatever, it was so refreshing to see a man just get up on stage and play music and entertain people. I saw Roger Waters do The Wall a few months ago and, while I absolutely loved it, I also loved JM's show in a completely different way.

Anyway, glad I was able to find a community like this. Nice looking board you have here!

[sugarmarie_1980]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts about the show and truly bummed for you that you didn't get to enjoy it as the listening experience it should be. Welcome to the boards and don't be a stranger!