John Cougar Mellencamp 1984 Tour

As we drove from Minnesota to Alabama to start the 1984 John Cougar Mellencamp tour, my focus was on what a great time merchandising this gig was going to be. I was a fan of his music which was the opposite of all the other tours I’d been on. Don’t get me wrong, I dug all the bands I worked for, but didn’t own any of their albums, Cougar I did.

As I mentioned in my book, the first night of the tour set the mood for the duration. John Cougar Mellencamp was a total dick 24/7 and a bummer to be around while not performing. I’d been on the road for a few years and knew road protocol, and this tour had none of that. It was a road crew walking on egg shells around a temperamental rock artist looking to tear someone a new ass at will. He was so nasty, that on a future tour drummer Kenny Aronoff asked John if he could sell his drum video at the merchandise stands during concerts and Cougar immediately said no. His chip on the shoulder attitude spared no one from his viciousness. The nights his wife came out to visit he seemed to be even more wicked than usual. She stopped him from bitch hunting for cute blondes which he liked very much and maybe that pissed him off.

However, as a performer John Mellencamp kicked ass and gave concert goers their money’s worth every night. His stage presence had a James Brown rhythm to it and made him electrifying to watch live. His band always fired on eight cylinders and was a lot more than just a back up band.

The audience was an older crowd and very loyal. Merchandise sold well but not great due to not having a young fan base. Though, we vended almost every night and that tour turned out to be the single best money making tour I’d do. We did thirteen shows in a row and blow was required to keep up with the six weeks of grueling nonstop motion.

This tour was a first for me. I met John Mellencamp’s mother and farther who were lovely people to be around, and I scratched my head why their little Johnny Boy was such a terror.

The fourteen foot cube van the three of us traveled in worked out well and that size van became my choice mode of transportation any chance I got. Donnie’s friend JO was the biggest poser I ever met. This jerk off bought penny loafers just like the kind John Mellencamp wore nightly on stage to fit a Cougar like image. Cool shoes on Cougar, on JO, not so cool. JO was a poser personified and I couldn’t wait to part ways with this joke. Looking back, it was a real challenge to teach someone the ropes when you didn’t like them. I remember reminding myself I was being paid a large sum of money to do a job, and like it or not I showed both of them the correct way to be a proficient concert merchandiser.

At the end of that tour I was so road weary that when the office told me my next gig was ready to roll and I’d get no down time, I gave less than a fuck. My addiction to road fever made me instantly reply no problem and the rush of chemicals in my mind instantly reenergized me to a state of pure bliss.

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