In a time when many of rock music’s pioneers are sadly leaving this world, it’s even more of a thrill to see the original stars of classic rock still performing. John Fogerty recently wrapped up his first Vegas residency at the Venetian Hotel and Casino, and his performance, even at the age of 70, was stellar.
Creendence Clearwater Revival is probably the first true American rock and roll band. Although over shadowed by the British Invasion, they reeled off a string of hits in the mid 60’s that today still sound as fresh as the day they were released. Fogerty, the lead singer/guitarist/songwriter of CCR, has for years distanced himself from the group, because of legal and personal matters too long to mention here ( You’d be upset too if you were once SUED BY YOURSELF FOR RIPPING OFF YOUR OWN SONG!) however all his hits were on full display at the Venetian. The sold out crowd sang and danced to classics like ” Run Through the Jungle”, ” Bad Moon Rising”, and “Proud Mary”. Fogerty moved around the stage like a man more than half his age, and his voice, while lacking some of his patented growl that he was famous for, still had that swampy drawl that is his trademark. He is no slouch on guitar either, at one point ripping out an Eddie Van Halen style taping solo before leading into ” Up Around The Bend”.
Fogerty peppered the set with anecdotes of his heyday, stories of influences that shaped his style, and funny asides of happenings at Woodstock. He kept it light, and thankfully, didn’t go into any sordid details of his disagreements with his former band mates.
Some touching moments were shared when Fogerty and his youngest son, who is also the lead guitarist of his touring group that also featured former White Lion and Megadeth bassist James Lomenzo, performed a duet on a few songs and traded lead riffs during the classics.
The solid two hour show was packed to the gills with hits, so much so that some younger members of the audience were shocked that some songs that they for sure had grown up with hearing on their parents car stereo were Fogerty, and even after the show, as the crowd was leaving, more of his songs were being played on the house P.A.
John Fogerty has been recording and performing for 50 years, and looks like if he could, he would go on for fifty more. Sadly, we are being reminded more and more lately that this isn’t the case, so if he comes to your city, get your ticket and enjoy one of the last great rock pioneers.