Blues & Bayous Tour • John Fogerty & ZZ Top

I never imagined myself as a ZZ Top fan. They wore scruffy with long beards and just enough panache to make it worthwhile. I enjoyed seeing  Billy Gibbons  playing a fictional version of his bad self on the television, getting uptight when Angela Montenegro gets chummy with TJ Thyne (Dr. Jack Hodgins). No matter, Bones sets them all straight and the whole scene somehow comes together, like a rock show choreographed by a somewhat lucid Alex Chilton on Quaaludes.

The show started out slowly, it was a cold raining evening, so we all cuddled up for a ride. The rabid fans never missed a beat. They sang along with all the big hits, drank hot chocolate, beer and booze just to keep warm. The fans were stuck in the Pavilion while the half dozen true believers stayed perched and stoned on a very watery hill top. The ZZ Top dudes got it revved up early with powerful renditions of Got Me Under Pressure and I Thank You (a Sam & Dave Chestnut) of major coolness. There were a few tunes that I did not know like Waiting For a Bus and Jesus Just Left Chicago. Billy Gibbons lead vocals were spot on - he sang a funky baritone and made it work like a machine.  Especially in songs like I’m Bad, I’m Nationwide, 16 Tons  Pearl Necklace &  Sharp Dressed Man. Dusty Hill played bass guitar and sang some tasty tenor on the encores Legs, La Grange and Tush. It was a good show and it was well received by the stand-up drinking beer bar crowd that was dancing on the seats and in the aisles.

John Fogerty ended the night on a high point. The appreciative fans got everything Fogerty could muster -  over 23 great songs that provided the soundtrack of music of our lives whether it was memories of Vietnam, or the murders of Bobby Kennedy and Martin Luther King. Yes, we remembered. Fogerty played many of his Creedence songs including Travelin’ Band, Hey Tonight, Who’ll Stop the Rain and the raucous Up Around the Bend, Down on the Corner. He also did a salute to Little Richard with Good Golly Miss Molly.

Fogerty sang a duet with Billy Gibbons entitled Holy Grail followed by Love and War, an incredible anti-war duet with Brad Paisley. Fogerty borrowed from Gladys Knight & the Pips with a cool rendition of I Heard it through the Grapevine followed by Keep on Chooglin’ and a fantastic drum solo.

Fogerty continued to power the vibe with this incredible body of music and good vibes with Jambalya  (On the Bayou) and  New Orleans (Gary U.S. Bonds). This followed us to the coda with Down on the Corner, Centerfield, The Old Man Down the Road and the heavy metal thunder with Fortunate Son. The Encores included Bad Moon Rising and Proud Mary.

By the end of the night the fans flocked to the concession stand to purchase memorabilia such as shirts, hoodies, CDs, cup holders. Oh well, I can always say I saw the show, it was the best show ever until the next time.

Peace & Love

Bo