By Chad from Albany.
I believe it was Albany Times Union writer, the late, great Greg Haymes, who wrote in his review of the John Fogerty concert at SPAC back in 1998 that “John Fogerty opens with songs that most acts could only dream of closing with.” I read his, and the other concert reviews ad nauseam back then – especially shows like that one, which I attended (I actually skipped school and slept on the bridge at SPAC overnight back then to make sure I got great tickets, back when that was a thing. Man, I miss those days). Those reviews are why I’m doing what I am now with RadioRadioX and XPerience Monthly.
Now, I’m writing the review. And I’m using the influence of legends such as Greg Haymes in my words of the artists that I read then and write about now. This is the fifth or sixth time I’ve seen Fogerty, and I continue to say that he is an absolute freak of nature. At 81 years old, his voice is outstanding, and his guitar playing is ferocious. The unique drawl in his voice and guitar can only be performed by him. Don’t try. You can’t do it. Opening with his Creedence Clearwater Revival classics “Bad Moon Rising,” “Up Around the Bend,” and “Green River,” I am reminded, as a musician still, that I could only wish to be able to close with songs like that.
Fogerty has been rejuvenated in the past couple of years. His sons Shane and Tyler have been in his band since 2007, and you can tell how much he enjoys playing with them. His face lights up in unadulterated joy when he sees them behind him. But now that he finally owns the rights to his expansive catalog of songs after decades of legal battles, he is in the best place of his life. And it’s noticeable.
The rest of his setlist was classic after classic, and by the show’s end you would need an extra hand to count the hits that he has that he didn’t play. His work is in the top-tier pantheon of anybody in the history of popular music. McCartney, Lennon, Townshend, Springsteen. There are but a handful of writers that have the caliber of iconic tracks as him, and few still sound as good as he does. He is a National Treasure.
The nearly sold-out crowd packed into Tanglewood as he tore through “Born on the Bayou,” “Who’ll Stop the Rain,” “Looking Out My Back Door,” CCR’s long-form jam of “I Heard It Through the Grapevine,” and even one of his early songs, “Fight Fire” from his pre-CCR band, The Golliwogs. Funny enough, the song that got the largest reaction was from his solo career – of course, the 1985 homage to the sport of baseball, “Centerfield.” Still donning his baseball-bat guitar, he undoubtedly hit a grand slam with that performance before taking us home with his closing songs, which are beyond anyone wishing to close with, but ones that all of us should simply be grateful to have in our American lexicon: “Fortunate Son,” which saw Fogerty sound like he did in 1969 with that signature scream that, again, only he could do, as well as “Lodi” and the iconic “Proud Mary.”
If you have a chance to see Fogerty at any of his upcoming shows, please do yourself a favor and see these guys while you still can, as they perform at such a high level. If you can’t this year, keep your eyes peeled for next year, as Fogerty looks like he will “Keep on Chooglin” with no signs of slowing down.
Steve Winwood opened the night with an hour-long set covering his solo work and his history of legendary bands that date him back to 1966 as an 18-year old child prodigy with the Spencer Davis Group, which earned him the honor of being awarded as a Member of the Order of the British Empire.
Starting the evening off with the Traffic instrumental “Glad,” he drifted into “Can’t Find My Way Back Home” from his supergroup Blind Faith alongside Eric Clapton and Ginger Baker of Cream, before the Spencer Davis classic “I’m A Man.” The band sounded excellent, and Winwood was looking and sounding great. He followed that with a pair of his solo classics from the 1980s, “Roll With It” and “Back in the High Life.” His performances reached a fever pitch with the Traffic classic “Dear Mr. Fantasy.” And before saying goodnight, we were gifted with the classics “Higher Love” and his signature “Gimme Some Lovin’,” bringing it home with his first Top 10 hit in the US.
This show is a reminder to see the greats of the industry while we still have them. As every year we lose more and more, we should be grateful that these icons of the golden era of popular music are still with us and performing at the level that they are.
John Fogerty setlist:
https://www.setlist.fm/
Steve Winwood setlist:
https://www.setlist.fm/
