Music News

Loud guitars, a steady diet of hit songs and one of the more distinct voices in American music history — the John Fogerty show at Northern Quest Resort & Casino Tuesday night delivered everything one could hope for from the ex-Creedence Clearwater Revival leader and Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Famer.

Accompanied by a crack band led by his guitar-playing son Shane and including a three-piece horn section, Fogerty hit the stage shortly before 8 pm decked out in a space-themed jacket and proceeded to crank through 25 songs over the course of nearly two hours.

Most of those songs came from the ridiculously deep Creedence catalog, but Fogerty made sure to touch on his solo career ("Rock and Roll Girls," "The Old Man Down The Road," "Centerfield"), his influences (a mini-set of New Orleans-themed covers) and even new material (a surprisingly strong "Holy Grail," a song he recently co-wrote and recorded with ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons).

Fogerty kicked off with raucous takes on "Travelin' Band" and "Hey Tonight," and the sound was a little scattered, but soon enough the sound man and band were locked in, leading to some transcendent moments over the course of the night, particularly when Fogerty attached "Green River" with some vivid guitar solos or when the New Orleans suite of "My Toot Toot"/"Jamabalaya (On The Bayou)"/"New Orleans" gave way seamlessly to the loping bass intro of "Down On The Corner."

[jump] One of Fogerty's other sons, Tyler, hit the stage for a frantic duet on Little Richard's "Good Golly Miss Molly," and a scorching version of the Sonics' "Psycho" was an unexpected treat among the slew of familiar Creedence songs.

Fogerty was an affable frontman, introducing all his band members and giving them plenty of time to shine. But the 73-year-old is clearly still the star, and one in remarkable form. His voice was pretty strong throughout, his guitar work reaching some incredible heights, and he ran around the stage like a frontman far younger.

He encouraged the audience to support America's veterans before playing "Love and War," a song he co-wrote with Brad Paisley that definitely slowed the momentum for a few minutes before he launched back into a run of five straight Creedence classics. That's a pretty minor quibble for a show that was pretty much a blast start to finish.

It has been about five years since I last saw Fogerty, and I wondered beforehand if maybe he'd lost a step. After watching his energetic show Tuesday, those concerns are dead and gone. He remains a must-see, and an American classic capable of putting together a show full of hits few of his peers can match.

Here's Tuesday night's setlist:
1. Travelin' Band
2. Hey Tonight
3. Rock and Roll Girls
4. Who'll Stop The Rain
5. Good Golly Miss Molly (Little Richard cover)
6. Pyscho (Sonics cover)
7. Up Around The Bend
8. Holy Grail
9. Green River
10. Love and War
11. Have You Ever Seen The Rain?
12. Lookin' Out My Back Door
13. I Heard It Through The Grapevine
14. Long As I Can See The Light
15. Keep on Chooglin'
16. Born on a Bayou
17. My Toot Toot (Rockin' Sidney cover)
18. Jambalaya (On The Bayou) (Hank Williams cover)
19. New Orleans (Gary U.S. Bonds cover)
20. Down on the Corner
21. Centerfield
22. The Old Man Down the Road
23. Fortunate Son
Encore
24. Bad Moon Rising
25. Proud Mary