John Fogerty is well known for being the frontman and main songwriter for Creedence Clearwater Revival. Formed in 1967, the band was composed of California kids but you could hardly tell from their music. Invoking the idioms and mysticism of the American South, CCR crafted a sound that stood in sharp contrast to the hard rock and progressive wave of music that had begun to permeate the airwaves in the late 60's. John Fogerty was at the center with his instantly recognizable growling vocals and knack for writing songs that were short but captivating. In just five years, the band released 12 top 40 hits and 5 top 5 albums while also performing at Woodstock in 1969. When the band dissolved in 1972, Fogerty embarked on a sporadic solo career with his 1985 album Centerfield being his most popular release. Amazingly, it wasn't until 1987 that he began playing his old CCR hits, at the urging of friends Bob Dylan and George Harrison. Since then, his recordings have been few and far between but Fogerty has done many tours and happily sings about Bayou country once again.
ZZ Top has long been at the forefront of blues rock n' roll. They formed in Houston in 1969 and gained popularity in 1973 with their hit album Tres Hombres. The power trio is composed of guitarist Billy Gibbons, bassist Dusty Hill and drummer Frank Beard. Ironically, Beard is the only one without a long beard that has become the indelible image of the band for over 40 years. The band's raw blues went largely unaltered throughout the 70's but their sound changed with their 1983 release, Eliminator. Backed by hit sounds "Legs" and "Gimme All Your Lovin", the band used synthesizers and MTV to appeal to a new audience. Despite this foray into mainstream rock, ZZ Top soon returned to their roots and have remained devoted to the heavy but timeless guitar sound that has grounded their music since the beginning.
This show was in town for two night with Fogerty and ZZ Top taking turns closing out the show. Their opener was Ryan Kinder, who's soul rock was still developing but was buoyed by his strong vocals and a stripped down performance. While I completely expected to like Fogerty way more than ZZ Top simply due to my love and familiarity with CCR, it was ZZ Top who blew me away. While Fogerty had 6-7 musicians backing him, his sound never matched the sheer power of the trio of ZZ Top and it was Gibbons who's swagger and chops shined the brightest. Fogerty could still carry his songs but age has robbed him of that growl he used to perfection in his CCR days. Despite this, Fogerty has enough hits to more than fill up his set and the horn section did much to elevate songs like "Proud Mary" to bigger heights than the original recordings. So in reality, Fogerty's set was as good as I expected and ZZ Top's was a lot more enjoyable than I envisioned because in the end, while John Fogerty used his songwriting and hooks to convey his sound, all ZZ Top needs is three guys and a loud guitar.
My favorite part of the show was when ZZ Top guitarist Billy Gibbons came out to jam with Fogerty during "Green River". Already one one of my favorite songs, their solo exchanges was such a treat to watch and it was awesome to see two guitar legends letting it loose.
As always, looking forward to more shows in the future!
DC
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| John Fogerty |
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| Ryan Kinder |
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