John Fogerty Celebrates Great Rock & Roll With New Jersey

Seeing John Fogerty with George Thorogood & The Destroyers probably was the most spontaneous decision in my long concert history. It literally happened the evening prior to the gig after Facebook had served up an ad. Showtime was on Saturday (June 15) at PNC Bank Arts Center, a great outdoor venue in Holmdel, NJ. And what an amazing evening it was!

I had known Fogerty was on the road, but as much as I love the man, I deliberately hadn’t looked for specifics, since going to multiple shows can become an expensive proposition. As such, if anything, I want to cut back! But when I saw a ticket at a very reasonable price at PNC, which is right in my backyard, I simply couldn’t resist – plus, conveniently, I could blame Facebook! 🙂

Father and son: John Fogerty and Shane Fogerty

This was my second time seeing John Fogerty after May 2018, when he played the same venue together with ZZ Top. What I mostly remember from that show was Fogerty’s electrifying enthusiasm, which stood in stark contrast to ZZ Top’s cool and distant demeanor. On Saturday night, once again, you really could feel Fogerty wanted to be on that stage and at 79 years had plenty of gas left in the tank!

I hadn’t seen George Thorogood and only knew a handful of his songs but had heard he’s a great live act. Last April, he was forced to cancel some shows from his 50th anniversary tour due to surgery for what a statement called “a very serious medical condition.” Fortunately, Thorogood recovered and resumed touring in July. At 75 years, he’s not exactly 18 either. But on Saturday evening, he was a b-b-b-b-b-b-b-blues rock freight train! How ’bout some evidence?

George Thorogood (center) and The Destroyers (from left): Jim Suhler, Jeff Simon, Billy Blough and Buddy Leach

Well, first things first. The evening was opened by Hearty Har, who later also served as John Fogerty’s backing band. There’s a family connection. The group from Los Angeles, who blend psychedelic with garage rock, was formed in 2012 and is led by John’s sons Shane Fogerty (guitar, vocals) and Tyler Fogerty (guitar, vocals). Their line-up also includes Nick Stratton (guitar), Douglas Lamothe (keyboards), Jesse Wilson (bass) and Richard Millsap (drums).

Hearty Har (from left): Jesse Wilson, Nick Stratton, Tyler Fogerty and Douglas Lamothe (not included: Shane Fogerty and Richard Milsap)

I hadn’t heard of Hearty Har, who played a ripping set that made for a great start of the evening. Here’s a sample, a song titled Calling You Out, off their first full-length album Radio Astro released in February 2021. This rocks!

On to George Thorogood & The Destroyers whose set touched on their entire recording career. They mainly focused on the period between the second half of the ’70s until the first half of the ’80s. In addition to originals like Bad to the Bone, Thorogood is known for great renditions. Bo Diddley’s Who Do You Love? is one of them. Diddley released this song in 1956. George Thorogood & The Destroyers included it on their sophomore album Move It On Over, which came out in November 1978.

Gear Jammer is one of Thorogood’s originals. It’s included on Maverick, the sixth studio album by George Thorogood & The Destroyers, released in January 1985. I should also note that apart from Thorogood (guitar, vocals), the group features his high school friend and co-founder Jeff Simon (drums), along with longtime members Billy Blough (bass), Jim Suhler (guitar) and Buddy Leach (saxophone, piano) – man, what a kickass band!

I felt writing a review about a George Thorogood concert without including his signature song would be a miss. So here it is, Bad to the Bone, another original the title track of his fifth studio album from August 1982. Appropriately, the classic was the set closer.

Here’s Thorogood’s setlist:

• Rock Party – The Hard Stuff (May 2006)
• Who Do You Love? (Bo Diddley cover) – Move It On Over (Nov 1978)
• Mama Talk to Your Daughter (J.B. Lenoir cover) – 2120 South Michigan Ave. (Jun 2011)
• I Drink Alone – Maverick (Jan 1985)
• House Rent Blues / One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer – George Thorogood and the Destroyers (Oct 1977)
• Cocaine Blues ([traditional] cover) (dedicated to Johnny Cash and June Cash) – Move It On Over (Nov 1978)
• Gear Jammer – Maverick (Jan 1985)
• Get a Hair-cut (Don’t Panic cover) – Haircut (Jul 1993)
• Bad to the Bone – Bad to the Bone (Aug 1982)

Then the time had come for John Fogerty. Appropriately, his tour is called The Celebration Tour, subtitle: Celebrating his songs from Creedence Clearwater Revival. In January 2023, after a 50-year quest, Fogerty finally regained the majority stake in the global publishing rights to the songs he wrote for CCR. He purchased them for an undisclosed sum from Concord Records, which had acquired the longtime owner Fantasy Records in 2004. It’s hard to believe it took Fogerty another 20-plus years to secure the rights!

And what a mighty celebration it was. Fogerty said he could finally play his songs with no restrictions, and you could feel how thrilled he was. This man was so ready for it, not only proving he continues to be a compelling guitarist who can play badass stuff but also a vocalist who can still hit high notes – and there’s plenty of them in CCR songs! In addition to CCR music from all of their albums except for the final Mardi Gras (April 1972), Fogerty played a few of his solo songs, mainly off Centerfield, the third and most successful album that appeared under his name in January 1985. He also threw in neat garage rocker Fight Fire, a 1966 single by CCR predecessor The Golliwogs.

Of course, I had taken a look on Setlist.fm and, as such, had a good idea what was to come. With so much great music, it was tough to decide what to capture! I can’t deny it also was emotional. CCR’s single Have You Ever Seen the Rain, backed by Hey Tonight, goes all the way back to the start of my music journey as an 8-year-old in Germany – another great piece of music my six-year-older sister owned and unknowingly introduced me to!

Let’s start with my favorite song off Bayou Country, CCR’s sophomore album from January 1969: the de facto title track Born On the Bayou. It also became the album’s lead single. Unlike CCR’s first big hit Proud Mary, it missed the charts altogether – wot?!

Here’s the aforementioned Have You Ever Seen the Rain, which remains among my all-time CCR favorites. The song, which was included on their sixth studio album Pendulum (December 1970), became one of their biggest hits and the group’s last top 10 (no. 8) in the U.S. on the Billboard Hot 100. It did best in Canada where it topped the charts, reached no. 2 in Norway and New Zealand, and climbed to no. 3 in Austria and The Netherlands.

I also wanted to include at least one of Fogerty’s solo songs and decided to pick The Old Man Down the Road, off the above noted Centerfield album. The song first appeared one month earlier as the lead single. Unfortunately, it became the subject of crazy legal action! Fantasy Records owner Saul Zaentz, who at the time held the publishing rights to CCR’s catalog, charged Fogerty’s new song had the same chorus as CCR’s Run Through the Jungle – basically saying Fogerty had plagiarized himself! Fortunately, Fogerty prevailed in this frivolous lawsuit! Check out that blistering guitar action between father and son – damn!

All things must pass, including great rock & roll shows. After Fogerty and his band wrapped up their amazing regular set with Fortunate Son, they returned for a two-song encore. Here’s the second and last: Proud Mary, another track from the aforementioned Bayou Country. With the neat saxophone action, they channeled a bit the vibe of the fantastic Ike & Tina Turner rendition.

Here’s Fogerty’s setlist:

• Bad Moon Rising (CCR) – Green River, Aug 1969
• Up Around the Bend (CCR) – Cosmo’s Factory, Jul 1970
• Green River (CCR) – Green River, Aug 1969
• Born on the Bayou (CCR) – Bayou Country, Jun 1969
• Who’ll Stop the Rain (CCR) – Cosmo’s Factory, Jul 1970
• Lookin’ Out My Back Door (CCR) – Cosmo’s Factory, Jul 1970
• Rock and Roll Girls – Centerfield, Jan 1985
• The Night Time Is the Right Time (CCR; Nappy Brown cover) – Green River, Aug 1969
• Joy of My Life – Blue Moon Swamp, Nov 2017
• Fight Fire (The Golliwogs) – single 1966
• Keep On Chooglin’ (CCR) – Bayou Country, Jun 1969
• Have You Ever Seen the Rain? (CCR) – Pendulum, Dec 1970
• Centerfield – Centerfield, Jan 1985
• Down on the Corner (CCR) – Willy and the Poor Boys, Nov 1969
• The Old Man Down the Road – Centerfield, Jan 1985
• Fortunate Son (CCR) – Willy and the Poor Boys, Nov 1969

Encore:

• Travelin’ Band (CCR) – Cosmo’s Factory, Jul 1970
• Proud Mary (CCR) – Bayou Country, Jun 1969

“George and I have done shows together before but for years we’ve talked about doing a full tour together,” Fogerty said in a statement. This summer we decided time is short, we better do this now!” Thorogood added, “Celebrating the music of John Fogerty at the same time we celebrate our 50th Anniversary is just about as good as it can get. I’m looking forward to being out there with my friend, John!”

The Celebration Tour will travel next to Gilford, NH (June 19); and Lenox, Mass (June 20) before resuming in July with a series of gigs in Europe, including Germany, The Netherlands, Belgium, Italy, France and Spain. In August, the tour will continue back in the U.S. in Milwaukee, Wis. (Aug 2). It currently is set to conclude on September 11 in Salt Lake City, Utah. The full schedule is here.

If you love John Fogerty and CCR and can get to one of the remaining shows, I can highly recommend it. Plus, let’s not forget about the amazing George Thorogood & The Destroyers! Last but not least, I’m leaving you with Spotify playlists that mirror the sets of each.

Sources: Wikipedia; Setlist.fm; George Thorogood & The Destroyers website; Hearty Har website; John Fogerty website; 313 Presents; YouTube; Spotify