Fogerty

My friends Mary and Steve asked me if Leslie and I would be interested in seeing a concert down at the Rady Shell down by the convention center. John Fogerty was playing. Leslie couldn't make it so I asked Chip if he wanted to join me. I owed him because he gave me the great ticket a while back to the Eagles and Steely Dan.

I had never seen Fogerty before but have always been a huge fan of his music. I did see Creedence Clearwater Revisited once at the Del Mar Racetrack but that was the iteration with Elliot Easton on guitar. Not the same.

We drove to Steve and Mary's house and a driver picked us up and took us to the show. 

What a beautiful venue! 

The shell is bordered by water and boats on both sides, situated at the back of the Convention Center.

Very pleasing architecturally, excellent sound.

The show started with Fogerty's kids band playing Hearty Har. They were okay.

The crowd was sparse at that time but it filled out. Average age was definitely post medicare.

What I didn't realize was that George Thorogood was the second act and he was quite the pleasure, worked his ass off, a true professional.

He asked the crowd if they liked country and western music and when he received a vigorous applause, said that he didn't play that, he only played city and eastern.

He was a crack up and really delivered.

I was happy to spot my Fallbrook pals Linda and Peter in the crowd, had no idea they were coming!

Sun went down and things got prettier and prettier with a thin hangnail moon hanging out with Venus just over the horizon line and an errant sailboat occasionally sailing past.

I loved watching the colors change on the skyscrapers to our east.

Hands down my favorite venue in the area, although beer, wine or cocktails will set you back a minimum of twenty two bucks and t-shirts were fifty. 

I have no idea what the tickets cost but the place was pretty well heeled.

I made a new friend, asked the guy behind me if his mom knew he went out in his plaid pants and he got pissed and said they were Madras, whatever that is. 

His wife was beside him and sniffed that she had bought them for him. It was the end of our brief conversation and relationship.

I looked them up. Set you back about $150 and outré ugly but what do I know? He had a preppie polo shirt on too so he was definitely going for a  look.

What can I say, not like I am Mr. Blackwell or something... You could always join the circus?

Fogerty came on and killed it. I had forgot what a great guitar player he was but he hasn't lost a step. His voice was higher than I expected, age usually rounding out a voice and putting it into a lower octave.

Played everything you would want to hear:

The songs were all good and iconic and part of the American song fabric.

If I had to pick a favorite I would say, Have you ever seen the rain hit the spot pretty good.

It has always amazed me that a kid from El Cerrito or the East Bay could suddenly become the voice of the Louisiana delta and bayou but such is one of the miracles of our age.

He showed some nice Woodstock footage which hits home with me so soon after John Morris's memorial.

Talked about the joy he had in getting his songs back, which he says he was not allowed to perform while he was in the never ending litigation with his old label.

He owns them now.

I won't bore you with the exit details but getting home was a bear. There was a bridge jumper on the 163 and the 15 was a one way road through Escondido.

Finally made it. Thank you so much to my hosts Steve and Mary for giving us the tickets and to Chip for accompanying me.