Concert Review: John Fogerty, Beacon Theatre

And God Said Let There Be Music. And Fun. Then he sent John Fogerty down to earth ...

John Fogerty's sons Tyler and Shane and their band 'Steamtrain Mary' opened for their dad at the Beacon Theatre in NYC. They are formidable young musicians. In an ironic twist, Fogerty's younglings covered 'Dazed and Confused' with sufficient power and accuracy to make me wonder, more than a little wistfully, 'what was it like to hear Led Zeppelin live?' Never seeing Zeppelin--it's like a wound that can never heal. The same with Hendrix. Even The Stones' twin guitar titans are still 600-foot tall monsters, but you can never see a 20-year old Mick Jagger. If you didn't see the phenomenon then, it's lost to you forever.

Which brings me to Big Daddy: John Fogerty, the King Kong of Roots Rock. The one Classic Rock A-lister still in his prime 40 years later. Seeing him tonight at the Beacon makes up, at least somewhat, for never seeing Hendrix or Zeppelin. Have no doubt about this: Fogerty is one of the world's greatest musicians -- the air is so thin up at his level. He's Mark Twain on a Silvertone -- an iconic voice, song myths that strike deep into your soul, and that black magic in his guitar playing is a little scary. The guy is a monster!

Some of these Creedence songs are so good that when I hear them live, I can hardly believe its happening. These aren't just catchy pop tunes. Each one is rooted in some moment, some place, some deep longing, or just some really great party. 'My Backdoor?' Come on. Fogerty's vision of life in heaven is sweet musical perfection: as God said, Let There Be Fun! On the voodoo-inflected 'Old Man Down The Road'', the guitar licks get so hot, it's as if the man electrocutes himself right up off the stage. 'Green River' gets into your blood faster than a straight shot of Jack Daniels and just teleports you. And suddenly there you are, down on the bayou.

If the Blue Ridge Rangers played basketball, they'd be The Dream Team. Every one is a world class musician, worthy to stand on stage next to John Fogerty.