© Go For MusicJuly 8, 2007 - Live at Bospop (Holland)
On Sunday the 8th of July, John Fogerty was the closing artist at the Bospop festival in the Dutch city of Weert.
It was about 5:30 PM when we arrived at the open air festival ground and the sun was shining brightly while the Waterboys did their thing.
Next on schedule was Paul Rodgers (Free – Bad Company) who put the field on fire with his rock anthem ”All Right Now”.
In the meantime, the sky was completely clouded over and when Gary Moore mounted the stage, the rain was pouring down rather heavy. The guitar hero did spread his virtuosity through his well known rock and blues work. Of course he won a lot of praise with his ballad “Still Got The Blues”
As many people went away during the breaks to drink or eat something, it was quite easy for us to move up forward till we found place just in front of the stage.
At 11:00 PM, the photographers entered the press zone, an indication to the crowd (10 000) that John would appear on stage in a little while. As if by a miracle it stopped raining.
Suddenly the familiar sound of Mercury Blues was booming through the speakers and the members of the band took their positions on stage.
And there he was, dressed in blue jeans, blue and white checked shirt and a scarf round his neck.
©Petra
He did a dazzling opening with Travelin’ Band and Green River, followed by a whole set of Creedence hits. New on this year’s setlist was Good Golly Miss Molly.
Remarkable were the 2 songs : Don’t you wish it was true and Summer of Love from his new album “Revival” to be released in September. Besides this, The Old Man Down The Road was the only song from his solo-career.
A very proud daddy John introduced his sons Shane (16) and Tyler (15) to accompany him on guitar during Down On The Corner.
The new band members Dave Santos (bass) and Hunter Perrin (guitar) did their job more than sufficient, though it was not easy make forget George Hawkins and Bob Britt.
The show went on for 100 minutes and came to an end with the usual encores Rockin’ All Over The World and Proud Mary.
This was the complete set : Travelin’ Band – Green River – Who’ll Stop The Rain – It Came Out Of The Sky – Born On The Bayou – Looking Out My Back Door – Cotton Fields – Lodi – Ramble Tamble – Midnight Special – I Heard It Through The Grapevine – Have You Ever Seen The Rain – Don’t You Wish It Was True - Summer Of Love – Keep On Chooglin’ – Down On The Corner – Good Golly Miss Molly – Old Man Down The Road – Bad Moon Rising – Fortunate Son – Rockin’ All Over The World – Proud Mary.
June 8, 2007 - John Fogerty's "Revival" to be released on October 2nd
"Revival", John's first new studio album in three years, will be
released worldwide this fall and features twelve brand new John
Fogerty classics. John had a great time writing, singing, and
playing these new songs while recording in Los Angeles this year. He
is looking forward to introducing the "Revival" songs on his
2007/2008 world tour. This is the tracklist :
DON'T YOU WISH IT WAS TRUE
RIVER IS WAITING
BROKEN DOWN COWBOY
CREEDENCE SONG
NATURAL THING
GUNSLINGER
IT AIN'T RIGHT
I CAN'T TAKE IT NO MORE
LONGSHOT
SUMMER OF LOVE
LONG DARK NIGHT
SOMEBODY HELP ME
November 22, 2006 - Thanksgiving
Even legendary singer/songwriter John Fogerty helped the Coalition on Temporary Shelter (COTS) in Detroit when he and his family -- wife Julie and three of their four children, ages 15 to 22 -- served lunch to the needy. He was in town to rock the halftime show at the Detroit Lions/Miami Dolphins game on Thanksgiving Day.
July 3, 2006 - The Long Road to Amsterdam (Holland)
Last year, John ended his concert at the HMH in Amsterdam with a loud and forceful "I'll be back". Well the Man kept his word. Two days after the memorable gig in Antwerp, we hit the road to Holland. The evening started with the traditional "horse race" to get the best places in front of the stage. Soon, the place was filled up with 5000 people. Altough it was very warm outside, the temperature inside the hall was comfortably cool.
Everybody was wondering if John would reach the high standard performance from two days earlier in Antwerp. And from a technical point of view, he did : the songs, his voice, the band, everything was matching. It only missed that one spark, needed to put the place on fire. Maybe it has to do with a healthy sence of chauvinism (I'm Belgian) but at least that was my feeling.
©Annelies
Besides one song (Almost Saturday Night instead of Porterville) the setlist held no changes : Travelin' Band - Green River - Who'll Stop The Rain - It Came Out Of The Sky - Lodi - Lookin' Out My Back Door - Commotion - Born On The Bayou - Almost Saturday Night - Cotton Fields - Ramble Tamble - Midnight Special - Bootleg - Déjà Vu - I Heard It Through The Grapevine - Have You Ever Seen The Rain - Rock 'n' Roll Girls - Sweet Hitch-Hiker - Long As I Can See The Light - Keep On Chooglin' - Hey Tonight - Down On The Corner - Centerfield - Up Around The Bend - Old Man Down The Road - Bad Moon Rising - Fortunate Son - Rockin' All Over The World - Proud Mary.
This time, I didn't hear him say "I'll be back" but let's hope that John never forgets the warm reception he gets everytime he comes to Europe. 5 days later, I've been affected by a heart attack. I'm recovering well but it could have turned out worse. The famous saying "See Fogerty and die" came very close ... or was it Naples ?
July 1, 2006 - The Long Road to Antwerp (Belgium)
For the second consecutive year, Antwerp was part of John's European tour. In spite of the heat (over 30°C) and the fact that the organisation had to compete with the famous Rock Werchter festival (only 40 kms in distance), the Antwerp Sports Palace was almost sold out (approx. 10 000 spectators).
At 8.45 pm Alan Jackson's Mercury Blues sounded through the speakers, indicating the start of the show. John appeared on stage in blue jeans and checked shirt, introduced by Bill Clinton himself (on a large video screen). He was backed up by Bob Britt and Billy Burnette on guitar, George Hawkins on bass, Matt Nolen on keyboard/guitar and Kenny Aronoff on drums. During two steaming hours, John gave the best of himself, putting the crowd in supreme ecstasy. His voice, his guitar playing, his band : they were all in great shape. We had numbered seats in the front rows of the venue but it didn't take long before everyone stood up, singing and dancing along.
© Micio Nero
John interacted playful with the audience as well as with the bandmembers. Drummer Kenny can approve this since he got a bouquet of flowers and a bottle of water over his bold head (now it's blooming again). Very appreciated were the new (old) songs on this year's playlist : Porterville, Commotion, Long As I Can See The Light, Rock 'n' Roll Girls and, especially a full lenght version of Ramble Tamble, my personal favorite CCR song of all times. Here's the complete set : Travelin' Band - Green River - Who'll Stop The Rain - It Came Out Of The Sky - Lodi - Lookin' Out My Back Door - Commotion - Born On The Bayou - Porterville - Cotton Fields - Ramble Tamble - Midnight Special - Bootleg - Déjà Vu - I Heard It Through The Grapevine - Have You Ever Seen The Rain - Rock 'n' Roll Girls - Sweet Hitch-Hiker - Long As I Can See The Light - Keep On Chooglin' - Hey Tonight - Down On The Corner - Centerfield - Up Around The Bend - Old Man Down The Road - Bad Moon Rising - Fortunate Son - Rockin' All Over The World - Proud Mary.
©Walter V.H.
I've been told that the quality of sound was pretty bad in the back of the stadium, but nevertheless, the atmosphere was smashing. Looking back, all the reactions were unanimously approving. Fans spoke of a memorable concert, probably John's best performance ever. I can only agree with that. Amen !
September 9, 2005 - Return to Fantasy !
After more than three decades, John Fogerty has returned to Fantasy Records. John's infamous relationship with the label, now part of the Concord Music Group, led him to suffer through years of bitter disputes and lawsuits, making this startling announcement perhaps one of the most unlikely and unexpected reunions in music industry history.
Fantasy will celebrate the return of Fogerty with the November
1 release of The Long Road Home — The Ultimate John Fogerty ·
Creedence Collection, an aptly titled disc that honors the icon's musical
journey from his early career to today. A new studio album is also
planned for 2006.
September 9, 2005 - John to perform for hurricane Katrina relief
To benefit the victims of Hurricane Katrina, John will be performing at New York City's Madison Square Garden on September 20th. The show, FROM THE BIG APPLE TO THE BIG EASY, also has other artist's donating their time. Scheduled to perform are Elton John, Rod Stewart, Jimmy Buffett and a host of New Orleans artists including Fats Domino and The Neville Brothers.
June 29, 2005 - Fire destroys Cosmo's Factory
The San Francisco Chronicle issues that a fire destroyed the warehouse in Berkeley, known as Cosmo's Factory. The building served as the rehearsal studio for Creedence Clearwater Revival during their heydays. Nowadays, the warehouse was used to build stage sets. Two firefighters got injured battling the blaze.
©
Lotus Green
June 9, 2005 - Songwriters Hall of Fame
John Fogerty, Steve Cropper, Isaac Hayes, David Porter, Richard and Robert Sherman and Bill Withers are inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. The 36th annual induction took place at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York.
March 21, 2005 - Déjà Vu Tour 2005 - Amsterdam (Holland)
4 Days after the joyful event in Antwerp, we hit the road for a trip to Amsterdam where John Fogerty would play once more to a full house (5000 spectators).
©
Micio Nero
The show was planned to begin at 8 p.m. Around 4 p.m. we joined a small crowd from different nationalities in front of the Heineken Music Hall. Since there were no numbered seats this time, everybody was looking for a strategic position close to the entrance doors. Alas, when the doors went open at 6.30 p.m., the stupid one where we stood nearby, jammed. Inspite of this, we could get hold of some perfect places at the second row, less than 3 yards in distance from stage.
Once more, John gave us a sparkling show. He was in a very
good mood and full of energy. The sound reproduction was considerably better
than it was the case in Antwerp. The atmosphere was very different also
since the venue was much smaller and there was a shorter distance between
artist and the audience.
The setlist held two changes : I Put A Spell On You and Almost Saturday
Night were dropped in favour of a raw version of Keep On Chooglin', completed
with the extended solo on blues harp.
Nice to hear and see is the fact that John doesn't always play on automatic
pilot. Many of his songs got new arrangements (Lodi, Cotton fields, …)
by which he surprises the crowd pleasantly. At the same time he avoids that
boredom slips into his gigs.
©
Pegasus
John ended the concert with a loud and forceful "I'll
be back !!" Let's hope he means it.
Here's the complete setlist : Travelin' Band - Green River - Suzy
Q - Lodi - Who'll Stop The Rain - It Came Out Of The Sky - Sugar Sugar -
Lookin' Out My Back Door - Rambunctious Boy - Blue Moon Nights - Run
Through The Jungle - Ooby Dooby - She's Got Baggage - Born On The Bayou
- Keep on Chooglin' - Cotton Fields - Hot Rod Heart - The Midnight
Special - The Old Man Down The Road - Déjà Vu - I Heard It
Through The Grapevine - Have You Ever Seen The Rain - Centerfield
- Down On The Corner - Up Around The Bend - Bad Moon Rising - Fortunate
Son - Rockin' All Over The World - Proud Mary.
March 17, 2005 - Déjà Vu Tour 2005 - Antwerp (Belgium)
Almost 34 years after the legendary CCR-concert (September 24, 1971), John Fogerty came back to the 'holy ground' of the Antwerp Sports Palace. Just like then, the huge velodrôme was completely sold out, which means that about 12 000 to 14 000 spectators filled up the numbered seats. Our seats were on the 10th row, about 15 yards away from stage. I think that a seating accommodation for a rock concert is no good idea, but soon, a lot of fans were jumping and dancing between the rows.
© Micio Nero
In order to recognize each other, the members of the Flemish-Dutch mailing list 'It Came Out Of The Sky' carried a cap that was especially designed for this tour. To the strains of a dobro version of 'Green river', a slide show of John's life and career was shown on a big screen, while the band members lined up on stage : Bob Britt and Billy Burnette on guitar, George Hawkins on bass and John Molo on drums. At last, the Maestro himself appeared in the spotlights, welcomed by a tremendous applause. He took off powerful with 'Travelin' Band', 'Green River' and 'Suzy Q'.
Full of energy and not annoyed by any wiring, John used every inch on stage, pulling the funniest faces (somebody compared him with Angus Young from AC/DC). His familiar voice was in excellent shape and as powerful as in the best days of CCR. In order to approach the original sound as close as possible, John changed guitars for every song. The only (small) minus of the whole show was the sound quality. In fact the sound wasn't tuned up optimally to beat the inferior acoustics of the sports temple. But it didn't alter the fantastic atmosphere at all and there was a lot of interaction between John and the crowd.
©
Micio Nero
All of the Creedence hits passed by, varied by songs of his solo career and from his latest album 'Déjà Vu'. The title song soothed the crowd for a while, as the big screen came down again, showing images of war and terror, but also images of hope when John was larking about with his little daughter. Highlights of the show were : 'Run Through The Jungle' (seldom performed live), 'Old Man Down The Road' (with solo on harp) and the guitar duel between John and Billy Burnette on 'Grapevine'.
After 2 hours and 30 songs it was all over. With 'Rockin'
All Over The World' and 'Proud Mary', an unforgettable night came to an
end. Everybody (the Belgian Press included) had nothing bud praising words
about this concert.
Here's the complete setlist : Travelin' Band - Green River - Suzy Q - Lodi
- Who'll Stop The Rain - It Came Out Of The Sky - Sugar Sugar - I Put A
Spell On You - Lookin' Out My Back Door - Rambunctious Boy - Blue Moon Nights
- Run Through The Jungle - Ooby Dooby - She's Got Baggage - Born On The
Bayou - Cotton Fields - Hot Rod Heart - The Midnight Special - The Old Man
Down The Road - Déjà Vu - I Heard It Through The Grapevine
- Almost Saturday Night - Have You Ever Seen The Rain - Centerfield - Down
On The Corner - Up Around The Bend - Bad Moon Rising - Fortunate Son - Rockin'
All Over The World - Proud Mary.
February 10, 2005 - CCRevisited line up
CCRevisited has a new guitarist. Tal Morris replaces Elliot Easton.
..
©
Susanna Frohman