NEW YORK (AP) - Celebrating his 80th birthday this week, John Fogerty took the opportunity to both honor and reflect on his storied past. Amidst an international tour, Fogerty delivered an electrifying 100-minute performance to a near-capacity crowd at Manhattan's Beacon Theatre. The audience was a diverse mix, ranging from those who vividly remember the classics like "Proud Mary" and "Fortunate Son" from their original release over fifty years ago to younger attendees who might have heard about the hits through their grandparents.
From a distance, Fogerty appeared to be in fine form, reminiscent of his prime years with Creedence Clearwater Revival, a band that dominated the charts between 1969 and 1971. Clad in his iconic flannel shirt and sporting a similar shaggy hairstyle—with his bangs brushed back—Fogerty’s singing voice, while slightly mellowed, still resonated with the powerful roar characteristic of his earlier days. He even played his late-60s Rickenbacker guitar, further connecting to his roots.
Fogerty expressed immense pride, not just in his rock 'n' roll legacy but also in his family. His band features two of his sons, Shane and Tyler, on guitar, and his daughter Kelsy made a brief appearance on a third guitar. Offstage, his wife, Julie, was present, and he credited her as both the love of his life and his hero for assisting him in regaining rights to his song catalog. For decades, Fogerty endured battles over his copyrights, at times even facing lawsuits for allegedly plagiarizing his own work, which he did not own at the time.
His triumph over these legal challenges is celebrated in his upcoming album, "Legacy," which features new renditions of 20 songs from his past. Attendees at the Beacon Theatre experienced a promotional film for "Legacy" at the outset of the concert, and Fogerty mentioned the album once more prior to his encore. Both the new album and the live performance underscore Fogerty's desire to look back on his career with a reflective lens.
As he acknowledged during the concert, Creedence Clearwater Revival reached incredible heights before a bitter breakdown in the early '70s, leading to their disbandment and a lack of future recordings or tours. While diehard fans might remember bandmates drummer Doug Clifford, bassist Stu Cook, and his late brother Tom Fogerty, their contributions were not highlighted during the show, as images of only Fogerty flashed on the screen behind him. The tracks on "Legacy," all titled "John's Version," emphasize his solitary presence from the original group.
The concert at Beacon Theatre was as much about Fogerty's current state as it was about his past, filled with joy and energy. He leapt across the stage, played with the exuberance of a young rock star, and even poured himself champagne. Fans reveled in the spirited atmosphere, clapping, dancing, and being showered with confetti while enjoying a dazzling display of lasers and fog. Songs such as "Have You Ever Seen the Rain" and "Centerfield," a notable post-Creedence anthem, ignited the crowd, many of whom rose to their feet to celebrate the man of the hour, whose birthday celebration took place the day before.
