28 May 1997 Chicago

The Creedence numbers were very good, but there was definitely something, or should I say two things, missing. The lowlights of the evening were Aronoff's butchering of one of the greatest drum songs of all time, Who'll Stop the Rain, and a comment by John. When somebody in the crowd called out "Effigy," John responded, "I'm not that angry anymore. We'll leave that to some other guys." The crowd was alive with interesting song suggestions, which were encouraged by John. The most popular was "Run Through the Jungle," and John kept referring to it as if he'd play it but didn't. I was screaming for "Up Around the Bend" and "Chooglin'," of course to no avail, and the guy behind me really wanted "Change in the Weather." John seemed extremely happy and told us so, and joked and talked much more than I expected.

The set started, of course, with Born on the Bayou, which was missing the last verse. John screwed up the words on both Green River and Lodi, but added some new guitar licks to both, and especially augmented the end solo on Green River. Lookin' Out My Back Door was routine, then John pulled out his Rickenbacker guitar with Kustom amp for a surprisingly (happily) lond and studioesque Suzie Q, followed by a brilliant version of I Put a Spell on You, probably the second best song of the night. We were then treated to possibly the first ever live performance of Bring it Down to Jellyroll, on which John played a regular guitar and a lap steel, and sideman Johnny Lee Schell played the organ. That was followed by Southern Streamline and the aforementioned Who'll Stop the Rain.

Opening act The Fairfield Four, a gospel quintet that John called a "treasure" and three of whom must have been eighty years old, returned to back up John on the Midnight Special and A Hundred and Ten in the Shade. The Fairfield Four joked about their age during their half-hour opening set, saying they'd been together since 1922. John then pulled out a chair and a dobro, which he explained, while a new, smaller drum set was brought out front for Aronoff. They played a fierce rendition of Workin' On a Building, then Joy of My Life. John got a regular guitar back but remained seated for a guitar-enhanced Big Train.

After the three seated songs, the baseball-bat guitar came out for the aforementioned Centerfield. Down on the Corner was uninspired, but Swamp River Days and Hot Rod Heart were fantastic. They sounded excellent with the louder guitar sound of the concert setting. John continued his scorching guitar work on Before You Accuse Me, then played Long As I Can See the Light with guitar solos replacing the sax.

John then lit into "Old Man" and gave me a whole new appreciation for the song, which has kind of a lifeless studio version. I think John should just rerecord Centerfield on stage! Mr. Greed would be superior with that kind of treatment. Blueboy and Walking in a Hurricane were next, and although John's vocals seemed to be weakening by this point, his guitar still had smoke rising from it! Added end solos made both songs great.

The black Les Paul he used at the Hall of Fame concert came out for the last three songs of the regular set: A fairly nondescript "Grapevine," a close-to-studio Bad Moon Rising, and of course the angst-ridden Fortunate Son.

After only about a minute or two backstage, the band returned for a fairly routine Proud Mary, then closed with a manic version of Travelin' Band, where John seemed to make up his own solos. The show lasted about two hours and ten minutes, and left me exhausted and in awe! I can't wait for the "big" tour, but it's going to be very hard for John or anybody else to ever match that concert.

Fogerty in Chicago, Night #2 (5/28)

Review by Christopher Buoscio

John's second night in Chicago was a special one. There was a joy in the way he played the Creedance songs. You could tell the man missed playing 'em live and was having a blast.

The concert had the added honor of being Fogerty's birthday and he was treated to a round of singing and a cake from his wife. "I'll get my present later!" he shouted as his wife walked off the stage.

The set was identical to the listing from the first Chicago gig. The new songs blended well with the classics. The only slow bit the now overly fashionable Unplugged, acoustic portion of the show and a long and too late in the show version of Walking in a Hurricane, the released single that is not the strongest cut on the new album.

John spent a lot of time with the crowd, reaching down and signing autographs, giving out picks and even shouting, " Drinks for Everybody!!!" He also gave the show a personal touch for Chicagoans when half way through the show he announced, " Its over!! Bad guys 85, Chicago Bulls 100......Now maybe you all can CONCENTRATE!!!"

The shows high points, Suzie Q, Put a Spell on You, Fortunate Son, Travellin Band, Midnight Special and of course the chill that went up my spine when JF hit the intro to Born on the Bayou to start the show.

Overall a great sounding night, (one bum note in Green River) and perfect sound from all the players. The show lasted about two and a half hours. I hope John Fogerty returns to Chicago again, it's been over 10 years and I'm glad he has resolved his conflicts and is playing the Creednce songs. I think he missed them.

Buoscio