08 Sep 1997 St. Louis

When the curtain opened and John started to play, the crowd went wild cheering. It was just fantastic, and John was very energetic, and did about 80% CCR songs, with the rest being BMS, and his solo songs. I was very surprised to hear "Workin' On A Building" done in concert.

There was a fantastic backdrop behind the band, with a swamp scene, big ol' moon, and all the critters such as gator, frog, dragon fly, etc. had bandannas on. There was one of those swamp air boats, with the fan turning the whole time, and parts of the scene glowed blue in certain lighting. The crowd loved every minute of it, and they were jumpin' in the aisles. Some guy tossed his hat on stage, and John picked it up and wore it!

John played for 2 and a half hours, only pausing for a few brief comments, and to introduce the members of the band. the concert wasn't a sell-out but probably 90%, and much better attendance than the last time John was in St. Louis. Seeing a video of John in a concert performance is good, but actually being there is like being transported to another world where nothing else exists, except John and the music. What an awsome experience!

After the concert, a group gathered near the back door, where the busses were parked, in hopes of seeing John, and maybe getting an autograph. The interesting thing is that the crowd was continually discouraged by being told that John would not come out, and would not give autographs, by someone who looked very familiar, and was good at doing this.. Dave Joens and I wondered if this person might be Bob Fogerty. (Dave, I found out later it was!) We waited until after 1:30 AM, and by then the disheartened group had dwindled to a mere 22.

One of the neatest things happened next. Someone came out to the middle bus, and got in, and I noticed a flickering light in the front. When I looked closer, I saw that there was a candle burning, in one of those little glass containers, about the size of a shot glass, and was on the dash, in the front window. "..Put a candle in the window.." The bus driver told us that was John's bus.

Kenny A. came out and the group cheered, and he waved, and someone asked him to come over and see us. He really looked exhausted, and told us, "No, you are all really waiting to see John, not me." and got on his bus and left.

Finally, after security reported that there were still 22 people left, we were all told to stay orderly, and remain in line on the sidewalk, and John would come out, to sign just 1 item per person. It was the most memorable moment of my life, to actually have the chance to stand right next to John Fogerty, shake his hand, and thank him for coming to St. Louis. His response was, "no.... thank YOU for coming!" What a great evening I had, and it is something I'll never forget.

I truly hope that every one of the fans will have the chance to see John in concert someday. It was a long time in coming, for me, but definately worth every minute of the waiting.

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Long As I Can See The Light.... Leah