NEW YORK – As he turned 80 this week, John Fogerty was in a temper to honor his previous and to revise it.
We should always all be so alive and so remembered at his age. Fogerty, within the midst of a world tour, performed a rowdy 100-minute set Thursday night time to an adoring, near-capacity viewers at Manhattan’s Beacon Theatre. Crowd members spanned from these more likely to keep in mind “Proud Mary,” “Lucky Son” and different Creedence Clearwater Revival hits when first launched a half-century in the past to these wanting younger sufficient to have heard about them by way of their grandparents.
Not less than from a distance, Fogerty did not look or sound a lot totally different from his prime with Creedence, which was hardly ever off the charts between 1969 and 1971. He wore his trademark flannel shirt; had the identical shaggy haircut, though together with his bangs brushed again; sang with a classic roar that has mellowed solely barely; and even performed the identical guitar, a Rickenbacker, that he had acquired again within the late ’60s.
Fogerty offered himself as a proud rock ‘n’ curler, and a really proud household man. His band consists of two of his sons on guitar, Shane and Tyler, with daughter Kelsy briefly becoming a member of them on a 3rd guitar. Off to the facet was his spouse, Julie, whom he praised because the love and the hero of his life, if solely as a result of she gave one of many biggest items an previous rock star might ask for: She helped win again rights to his music catalogue. Fogerty had battled over his copyrights for many years, and at one level discovered himself being sued for plagiarizing one in every of his Creedence hits, which on the time he didn’t personal.
He has marked his victory with an upcoming album, “Legacy,” for which he recorded new variations of 20 songs. In the event you have been in the home Thursday night time, you could not assist listening to about it. A promotional movie about “Legacy” opened the present and Fogerty talked about it once more earlier than his encore set. Each the album, subtitled “The Creedence Clearwater Revival Years,” and his live performance inform a narrative of how he needs to look again.
As Fogerty famous at one level Thursday night time, Creedence Clearwater Revival soared to the best heights earlier than imploding bitterly within the early ‘70s and by no means once more recording or touring collectively. Solely Creedence diehards would have recognized the identification of the opposite band members — drummer Doug Clifford, bassist Stu Prepare dinner, and guitarist Tom Fogerty, John’s brother, who died in 1990. Their names have been by no means talked about, their faces near-invisible among the many rush of photos that appeared Thursday on a display behind Fogerty and his band. The brand new tracks on “Legacy,” every labeled “John’s Model,” go away solely John Fogerty from the unique group.
The Beacon present was very a lot about the place is he now, and the way a lot he likes it. He dashed concerning the stage, rocked out on his Rickenbacker with the enjoyment of a teen on air guitar and even poured himself champagne. Followers clapped and danced, whereas being showered with confetti and dazzled with lasers and fog. The extra knowledgeable sang together with “Have You Ever Seen the Rain” and the baseball anthem “Centerfield,” Fogerty’s most well-known post-Creedence music. Just about all stood and cheered to serenade the night time’s visitor of honor, whose birthday was the day earlier than.
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