John Mellencamp has opened up about a performance at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame that left him “totally humiliated.”
It was 1995 and Mellencamp was recruited to be part of a special celebration opening the Hall’s museum in Cleveland. The star-studded event featured a collection of rock icons, including Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Aretha Franklin and the Kinks. Mellencamp was tabbed for a duet with Johnny Cash, an experience he recalled during a recent appearance on the Joe Rogan Experience.
“We were standing around getting ready to do soundcheck and there was a whole bunch of people playing,” Mellencamp remembered. “And the Eagles were on soundchecking and they were taking forever because Don Henley is a perfectionist. Everything’s got to be just right. And I was standing with John and June [Carter Cash] and John was getting irritated because we were like 40 minutes [late].”
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By the time the men finally got to soundcheck, Cash was in a foul mood. “He had a f—ing temper,” Mellencamp recalled. “You didn’t f— with John Cash.” As such, Mellencamp suggested they skip practicing their duet of “Ring of Fire.” “I know that song. It’s easy,” he insisted to Cash. “I got it.” In hindsight, the decision wasn’t wise.
‘I Couldn’t Find a F—ing Note’
At the Hall of Fame concert the next night, Cash welcomed Mellencamp to the stage as planned. However when they began to play “Ring of Fire,” something went wrong.
“He started the song. ‘I fell into…’ I didn’t realize that he had changed the f—ing key from him smoking to a lower key. So I couldn’t hit the note,” Mellencamp explained. “I couldn’t find a f—ing note because it was not the note the song was written in.”
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Mellencamp’s vocal struggles were obvious, as the singer’s pitch fluctuated during the rendition. Making matters worse, his fellow rock stars were watching from the side.
“I look over there and there’s Chuck Berry going and I look over there and there’s Springsteen going,” he recalled. “And all these people on the side of the stage, right? And they’re all giving me a look like, ‘You’re f—ing up, man.’”
Frustrated by the experience, Mellencamp stormed off after the performance.
“As soon as the song was over, I ran off stage. I was totally humiliated,” he admitted. “So, I ran off stage and got to my trailer. I just get back there and all of a sudden, knock on the door and I answer and it’s John. He said, ‘Can I come in?’ And I go, ‘I don’t know why you’d want to, but yeah, come on in.’ He goes, ‘I told you we should have soundchecked.’”
Watch John Mellencamp Perform With Johnny Cash at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
Most Awkward Rock Hall of Fame Moments
Rambling speeches, fights between ex-bandmates and bad performances have marked many induction ceremonies over the years.
Gallery Credit: Dave Lifton
