Fascinating to reads some of the comments in other threads about groups some of the younger boomers saw as their first concert...clearly they come from a different age of boomerism. Not that I am oblivious to the groups, just not my forte. Heck, the only performers I saw 4 times were Peter, Paul and Mary and Paul Anka. This Sunday though there should be a meeting of the minds (and ages) as the CCR Tribute band headed up by Randy Linder looks to be one kick butt show. He's performed all over the country and world and we get to see him simply because we are card carrying Sun City residents (don't forget your picture ID, as this one may well have folks being asked to show they live in Sun City). CCR and John Fogarty especially had a slew of hits and the hour and a half show should blow by. It starts at 6:30 pm at the Sun Bowl. You'll need your own chairs, a beverage of choice and a couple of bucks if you want any chow from the food trucks in the food court. This promises to be a fun night and they should be hanging from the rafters (if there were any). Here's Randy's website and you can see a video of some of his songs. How the heck does it get any better than this?
John Fogarty. Sued for performing the music he wrote and made famous because he sounded too much like himself. Remember that lawsuit? Lots of lawsuits against him, from the band and the label. Here' one thing he said about the music. CCR's catalogue of songs has frequently been used or referenced in popular culture, partly because John Fogerty "long ago signed away legal control of his old recordings to Creedence's record label, Fantasy Records." Fogerty objected to what he regarded as a misuse of his music in an NPR interview: Folks will remember Forrest Gump and that was a great movie, but they don't remember all the really poor movies that Fantasy Records stuck Creedence music into: car commercials, tire commercials. I'm remembering a paint thinner ad at one point, the song "Who'll Stop the Rain". Oh, boy. That's clever, isn't it? Of particular interest was the use of his protest song "Fortunate Son" in a blue jean commercial.[28] In this case, the advertiser eventually stopped using the song, as Fogerty related in a later interview: Yes, the people that owned Fantasy Records also owned all my early songs, and they would do all kinds of stuff I really hated in a commercial way with my songs. ... Then one day somebody from the L.A. Times actually bothered to call me up and ask me how I felt, and I finally had a chance to talk about it. And I said I'm very much against my song being used to sell pants. ... So my position got stated very well in the newspaper, and lo and behold, Wrangler to their credit said, 'Wow, even though we made our agreement with the publisher, the owner of the song, we can see now that John Fogerty really hates the idea', so they stopped doing it.
Because new music is so bad that someone has to keep doing the old stuff. And many of the original guys are too old to do it. Plus I'm sure its a money maker for the band.
Let me help you out here R with a real life example: Last year when the Peter, Paul and Mary tribute show came to the Sun Bowl, I was delighted. While they were hardly what I had seen any number of times, it was a fun evening for all. Just great music to sing along with you know. That said, it was far more attractive than Peter and Paul dragging a stuffed Mary on the stage and trying to act like she was singing. Of course it's all said tongue in cheek, as C mentioned some of the old timers are way past their prime. We used to book some of them and most often we'd leave long before the end of the show. Personally I love the tribute shows and more so to hear the old songs we loved growing up even if the folks performing them aren't the originals. Not for everyone for sure, but that's a good thing considering the Sun Bowl only holds about 7500 people.
CCR for Sunday night is on my calendar, but I believe the time has changed to 6:00 p.m. starts beginning with the first Sunday in November.
Thanks BR, my bad for not looking for the change. Just as a public service announcement, be forewarned: It may still be warmer when you head to the bowl, but once the sun drops, a get's a bit chilly. It wouldn't hurt to carry a jacket or blanket. That's one of the reasons for the earlier starts eh. So in case anyone missed it...this Sunday (Nov 1) at: 6 pm. You might want to be there around 5:30 to find a prime spot.
That is too funny Bill, a little chilly... your nightly lows are Denver's daily highs. Wish I was there, I grew up with CCR. They used to play at the Purple Turnip in Modesto, CA. I was too young to get in, but my sister would go with her fake ID and rave about how great they were.
Sorry bud, just the way it is eh? This show is looking like it will be a wild and crazy time. I'm hearing parties pre-show are forming with the hordes packing in around 5:30. The weather looks to be nothing short of spectacular and now that so many of the winter people are back and hungry for some good old Sun City fun, it's gonna be a slobber-knocker (thanks to Jim Ross for that one brother). Might just be as exciting as that Miami of Florida/Duke finish yesterday. If you haven't seen this, you need to...it's that fun to watch (unless you are a Dukie).
Foe those of you who missed it, my condolences...the show was one kick-ass time. I'd say 7500, but others thought they were pushing 8000. Either way, no one left early as Randy Linder fed of the raucus crowd, while the crowd eat up everything they did. The weather was gorgeous, with a slight nip in the air and a good share of those in attendance also enjoying a slight nip to heat up the evening. The dance floor was rocking: who'd a thunk a bunch of old farts could have that much fun? With the 6pm start, even those who like to get to bed early were home in time to do so. The thing i noticed was the number of younger folks in the crowd. Clearly Sun City is attrracting boomers in their late 50's and early 60's so this kind of music is right up their alley. It just doesn't get any better than this.
It was a wonderful event ..CCR brought back many wonderful memories of my youth ! The band was excellent ... BRAVO ! !
Better than that? Okay, here's my story on the real deal: I first saw this band in the Fantasy Records studio in the east bay. A friend of mine was in a jug band recording in the studio. I went along for the ride. Their producer said "you should hear this band down the hall". It was the Golliwogs. Unbeknownst to me they were at that time considering changing their name to Creedance Clearwater Revival. This is prior to anyone outside of a few fraternities, military bases and private parties ever hearing the band. Those were the venues they played at the time. After they broke nationally I saw them in concert a few times at such venues as Fillmore West and Winterland in San Francisco. I think I saw them once at Vets Auditorium in Des Moines also but you know, during that era everything was a bit fuzzy. I had occasion to bump into that band in another way. Much of their success was due to a radio programmer out of Fresno named Bill Drake. He was a major influence in what became known as "Boss Radio". He and Gene Chenault formed a national radio consulting company. I used to work with their Program Director. Bill Drake was the first to "suggest" to radio stations they play CC&R's first really big hit "Susie Q". That catapulted CC&R to national fame. There, more than you probably ever wanted to know about the band. I still listen to their recordings from time to time and it brings back memories of them as they were just launching.
Great story R, and had to be a fascinating time in your life. It is interesting how fast CC&R exploded on the scene, how many memorable hits they produced and then how quickly they disappeared. Even more tragic is to see the apparent rift between John Fogerty and the rest of the band. Something to ponder: Had their name remained the Golliwogs, would they ever have made it like they did? Or was their music good enough to overcome it?
