Email
Print
Comment
It might seem odd at first, but pairing John Fogerty and Willie Nelson makes perfect sense: both men had their fair share of early success, ran into trouble on the road, and have emerged older and wiser as a result. But, as always, the question remains: has their music, like their minds, ripened with age?
A nearly full-capacity crowd showed up at Jones Beach to test the two would-be conquerors -- though most were more interested in Fogerty and his nearly totalitarian Creedence Clearwater Revival set. And, all fears were soon allayed; no one was cheated on by either gent. Nelson managed 23 songs in his opening 75-minute set, while Fogerty pulled off 26 songs in two hours -- including a duet with Nelson on the bouncy standard "Jambalaya".
Nelson, whose band featured legendary guitarist Tom T. Hall, was sharp all night. Starting off with the wonderful "Whiskey River," he mixed standards and classics including "Working Man's Blues", "Georgia on My Mind", "Two-Timing Man", a new song titled "I Ain't Superman", and of course "On the Road Again" and "You Are Always on My Mind". While Nelson is known to go off on tangents and banter excessively with the crowd, here he kept his musings to a bare minimum. His guitar playing was solid, and his voice was strong.
But let's end the suspense: unless something unexpected comes along, Fogerty's set will wind up being the absolute best live performance your humble reviewer saw in 2006. It's not just the Creedence factor; Fogerty's band (featuring guitarist Billy Burnette and drummer for all ages Kenny Aranoff) was outstanding in and of itself. Beyond a few psychedelic patterns, the lighting was no frills, and the show went without special effects. This set was all about the music, and both Fogerty and the crowd knew it.
Willie Nelson
The biggest difference between past John Fogerty tours and the 2006 version is some subtle tweaking of the set. For instance, "Travelin' Band", normally the show closer, actually worked better as the opener, getting everyone right into things. Fortunately, Fogerty limited himself to only the title song from his last CD, the less-than-stellar Déjà vu All Over Again. A few of his "usuals" were missing ("Lodi", "Suzie Q"), but in their stead came choice album cuts that blew diehards away (guilty). ("Keep on Chooglin'", anybody? How about the full-blown version of "Ramble Tamble" from Cosmo's Factory? "Bootleg"!?!!? Oh, and let's not forget "Sweet Hitch-Hiker".)
The unusually loud set was a welcome surprise -- it allowed Fogerty to rock out on just about every number (granted, it's kinda tough to "rock out" on "Lookin' Out My Back Door" or "Have You Ever Seen the Rain?"). From the get-go, it was clear that Fogerty wanted to jam like nobody's business: both "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" and "Keep on Chooglin'" (complete with harmonica solo) afforded him the opportunity. As far as other Fogerty solo material, the only song done from the underrated Blue Moon Swamp was crowd-favorite "Hot Rod Heart", while Centerfield was represented by the title song, the welcome "Rock and Roll Girls" (he hit every high note perfectly), and, of course, "The Old Man Down the Road" (another jammin' number).
Creedence fans thought they died and went to heaven with the song selection (of those not previously mentioned): "Green River", the rollicking "It Came Out of the Sky", "Born on the Bayou", audience sing-along "The Midnight Special", "Run Through the Jungle", "Down on the Corner" (gotta love that cowbell), "Up Around the Bend", and the proper set closer, "Fortunate Son". The single two-song encore featured "Bad Moon Rising", and, of course, the song that put CCR on the map, "Proud Mary".
The coolness factor for Fogerty started when a video had him introduced by former President Bill Clinton, and it didn't end until the house lights came up. All in all, it was a great night for music, as Willie Nelson pleased his fans and satisfied those restless Fogerty/CCR minions. And John Fogerty and company simply came out and blew the amphitheatre apart.
— 30 August 2006
