John Fogerty
Backyard, Aug. 7 The twilight air was appropriately muggy as swamp sounds signaled John Fogerty’s arrival onstage at the Backyard. Although the former Creedence Clearwater Revival frontman was actually born in Berkeley, opener “Born on the Bayou” served as fiery confirmation of his timeless appeal. Drawing on the essences of country, blues, pop, and rock, Fogerty’s catalog is a cultural touchstone that transcends its era. Songs like “Have You Ever Seen the Rain?” and “Bad Moon Rising” are no less (or more) relevant than they were 35 years ago, and at age 59, Fogerty showed no overt signs of wear in his distinctive, grit-laden vocals. He put an exclamation point on the fact that he was CCR’s lead guitarist, doling out multiple, perfectly realized solos that never got in the way of the songs. His fourpiece band, featuring journeyman scion Billy Burnette on guitar and former Delbert McClinton sideman George Hawkins on bass, provided the support needed to do justice to the unheralded CCR rhythm section. The show was carefully paced, but the energy never waned. After rolling through “Green River” and “Suzie Q,” Fogerty recalled his Blue Ridge Ranger days with Hank Williams’ “Jambalaya.” Paying homage to Leadbelly, he played both “Cotton Fields” and “The Midnight Special,” two favorites from Creedence LP Willy and the Poor Boys. Fogerty’s sporadic solo output was best represented by an electrifying “The Old Man Down the Road” and a smooth “Hundred and Ten in the Shade” from his 1997 sleeper, Blue Moon Swamp. As he strapped on a baseball bat-shaped guitar to play “Centerfield,” one could only wonder how the royalty checks stack up for such an omnipresent stadium anthem. “Deja Vu (All Over Again),” the title cut from Fogerty’s forthcoming album, connected Iraq back to Vietnam in a manner both subtle and poignant. Of course, CCR’s “Fortunate Son” may be the most enduring and prolific protest song in the history of rock. Taken together with “Proud Mary” for the encore, the two songs offered the evening’s most remarkable distillation of Fogerty’s ability to capture all that’s horrible and wonderful about America in under three minutes.This article appears in August 13 • 2004.
