28 May 1997 Chicago - 2

They say good things come to people who wait. John Fogerty hadn't performed a concert in Chicago since 1986 but on Tuesday and Wednesday night (May 27 & May 28) he rocked at the House of Blues. Was it worth the wait for the good people of Chicago? Considering Moses had to go into the desert for 40 years before being able to see the promised land, 11 years almost seemed like a short wait, as Fogerty took Chicago's faithful to rock's promised land.

The "old man of rock and roll" performed two blistering shows that came darn near to a religious experience for rock and roll lovers. Fogerty's promised land contains rock a'plenty, mixed in with some mean blues, country, rockabilly and even some gospel. It makes you want to shout, "Hallelujah, I have been born again brother."

Certainly Fogerty has been born again and his two shows, which had identical set lists, reflected this. After years of bitterness having little or nothing to do with music and 11 years without a tour or an new album, he took to the stage with a passion.

Part 1:

Creedence classics

To me, his show could be divided into three glorious parts. The first consisted of the first six songs of the concert, all Creedence classics. This is what the crowd came to hear and Fogerty delivered. Especially good were the extended jam on Green River and the guitar playing on I Put A Spell On You. Fogerty's Suzy Q was surprisingly close to CCR's studio version, making it a concert treat as well.

With the crowd revved up, Fogerty got to the second part of the show, which consisted of more CCR standards, some of his solo work and several songs off his new Blue Moon Swamp album.

Part 2:

Country & Gospel

This set included some fine rock music but also a short country acoustic set which featured Fogerty playing the dobro. He also played the mandolin during the show. Gospel came into play during the segment courtesy of the Fairfield Four gospel band, which served as the opening act and then came out to back Fogerty on The Midnight Special and A Hundred and Ten in the Shade.

This second part of the show contained many highlights, including some great rockabilly guitar by Fogerty on Big Train From Memphis and a crowd sing along on Down On the Corner.

Part 3:

Guitar onslaught

It was after Down On the Corner that the third part of the concert began. Like Nigel in Spinal Tap, I want to give this part of the show an 11, despite the fact that one can really only go up to 10, which is the rating I'd give to parts one and two of the show. But it is here where it seems as if Fogerty's guitar work takes over every song.

Surprisingly, this segment of the show began with Swamp River Days, a modest little song off the new album. But Fogerty turned it into a hot live number and continued at a feverish pace through the new Hot Rod Heart and the blues songs Before You Accuse Me and Long As I Can See the Light. Fogerty's guitar onslaught continued through four more songs, ending with a him knocking out a killer solo in the crowd pleasing I Heard It Through the Grapevine.

Fogerty followed Grapevine with Bad Moon Rising and Fortunate Son, which closed his set. He then came back for a two song encore of Proud Mary and the fifties styled rocker Travelin' Band. All four of the final four songs are more than 25 years old, yet Fogerty gave them a vitality all their own.

Fogerty's back up band was fine, with drummer Kenny Aronoff being the most notable member of it. His style was a little intrusive on some of the older Creedence songs but overall he kept a rocking beat and really sparkled on Fogerty's new stuff.

But it is truly Fogerty's show and he was everywhere on stage, joking with the audience, signing autographs, bouncing around and just having a good time. Fogerty encouraged the audience to make requests, but when someone shouted out Zanz Kant Danz, his 1986 dig at his nemesis Saul Zaentz, he laughed. When someone else called for Effigy, he said, "I'm just not that angry anymore. Let those other guys do that," a slight dig at his former CCR bandmates, with whom Fogerty is also estranged.

Wednesday's show was basically the same as Tuesday's except that it was John's 52nd birthday. After he sang Joy Of My Life, a love song he wrote to his wife, she came on stage and presented him with a birthday cake while the crowd sang Happy Birthday. Using a line from the song, Fogerty asked her how he could blow out the cake's candle when, "you take my breath away."

Fogerty played for two hours on both nights. At times, he lost his voice, but he never lost his enthusiasm. Both night's sets featured 16 songs from his Creedence days, one song from his Blue Ridge Rangers days, three off of Centerfield and eight from his new album. His play list notes that one song, Bring It Down to Jelly Roll, is optional, but he played it both nights.

What is not an option is for the faithful of the rock and roll world to make the pilgrimmage to see a John Fogerty show.

"It wasn't an everyday event in the Fogerty household "

Review by Joe Nemec (5/28)