1969 was an extraordinary year in American history, concluding a decade of enormous social and political upheaval. It was also a year that saw garage rockers Creedence Clearwater Revival release three Top 10 albums along with a number of hit singles including “Down on the Corner” and “Fortunate Son."
Thursday night at Mohegan Sun, John Fogerty led his band through a 26 song two hour set of mostly well-known Creedence hits, in a show billed “1969: One Extraordinary Year.” And while the show could have been a simple nostalgic ride back to the 60’s, the message in many of these songs still resonates, for better or worse, almost 50 years later.
Protest Music
In the late 60’s, CCR was a straight ahead rock band popular among working class kids. Their first big hit was “Suzy Q,” a guitar driven rocker about a girl, but with the Vietnam War raging, their music soon took on an air of protest. Listening to classics like “Bad Moon Rising,” you have to shake your head a little - these tunes are indeed still relevant today.
“I see the bad moon arising.
I see trouble on the way.
I see earthquakes and lightnin'.
I see those bad times today.”
And the well-known verse from “Fortunate Sun,” an anti-war song, seemed to foreshadow talk of the privileged 1% today. Facing the likelihood of being sent to Vietnam, the singer screams
“It ain’t me, it ain’t me, I ain’t no senator’s son;
It ain’t me, it ain’t me I ain’t no fortunate one.”
Rocking Mohegan Sun
Politics aside, this was a rock and roll show through and through. And although, at age 70, his voice has weakened a bit, Fogerty still manages to belt out the hits one after another.
After a multi-media history lesson on 1969, Fogerty’s band opened with “Born on the Bayou,” a song that harkens back to the roots-rock origins of CCR. “Travelin’ Band” and “Up Around the Bend” followed. 4/4 time never sounded so good!
In between songs, the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer entertained with stories of that fateful year, with many in the audience nodding along in approval.
He shared a great memory about his experience at Woodstock where CCR followed the Grateful Dead onstage at 3AM early Sunday morning. The experience inspired him to write “Who’ll Stop the Rain,” a brilliant verse of poetry, and a literal and figurative response to the (rainy) Woodstock Festival.
“Long as I remember the rain been comin' down
Clouds of mystery pourin' confusion on the ground.
Good men through the ages tryin' to find the sun.
And I wonder still I wonder who'll stop the rain.”
At Mohegan, the band played pretty much all the hits. Songs like “Lookin’ Out My Back Door,”“Sweet Hitchiker” and “Midnight Special” kept many on their feet. A lesser know tune, “Keep on Chooglin,” was a show highlight, the band energized by Fogerty’s son Shane on lead guitar. Father Fogerty is a pretty accomplished axe-master himself, switching between his gold Les Paul, a twangy Telecaster, and a blue plaid Gibson among others.
“Hot Rod Heart,” a cosmic acid jam band rocker, was another highlight. Other show stoppers included the classic “Heard it Through the Grapevine,” with an extended bass solo from James Lomenzo and “Long as I Can See the Light” featuring Fogerty on keyboards. Veteran Drummer Kenny Aronoff set the tone, propelling the band along throughout the evening.
Encore
The main set closed with “Old Man Down the Road” and “Fortunate Son,” after which the band returned for encores “Bad Moon Rising,” and the classic “Proud Mary,” made famous by Tina Turner. The parade of hits was complete, with the notable exception of "Suzy Q," the tune that put CCR on the map.
The show included some of the (mostly unnecessary) trapping of modern day rock concerts; confetti drops, overpriced concessions, and pyrotechnics on stage. There’s really no need for all that with this kind of band. Fogerty’s workmanlike flannel shirted roots rock music stands just fine on its own.
Fogerty shows no signs of slowing down – he’s well into his current tour and his new book, “My Life, My Music,” is being published this Fall.
So is there an element of nostalgia in this show? Sure, but there's also a sense of urgency, and pain; it hasn’t gone away. The mainly “boomer” crowd undoubtedly included a number of Vietnam War veterans, some there with their families. Indeed, this concert was more than simply a wistful trip back in time; history repeats, and the parallels to 1969 are ever present.
Ken Abrams reviews Roots, Rock, Blues and more for GoLocal. E-mail him here.
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