Live Review: John Fogerty and His Travelin’ Band with Hearty Har at Cadence Bank Amphitheatre at Chastain Park in Atlanta, 7/26/23

At 78, John Fogerty has gained a new lease on life. After a five-decade legal battle, he has finally acquired the rights to his Creedence Clearwater Revival songs. During each stop on the tour, he brings out the champagne and toasts his success with fans. He is clearly elated and relieved. The aptly named Celebration Tour seems to be a new beginning for the artist. Fogerty told fans, “I had a plan…I outlived all the sons o’ bitches!”

Fogerty’s touring band includes, among others, his two sons. Both Shane and Tyler are solid guitarists and singers, with the Fogerty looks to match. They are also members of Hearty Har, the opening band on the tour. “Bad Moon Rising” kicked off the set to roars from fans. Fogerty, with his miraculous flowing brown hair and trademark flannel shirt, still has that better-than-ever rock ‘n’ roll voice. Performing with the boys and the newly acquired songs appears to be keeping him young.

The 19-song set consisted of nearly all CCR tunes, save for a handful of solo gems including “Rock and Roll Girls,” “Centerfield,” “The Old Man Down the Road,” and his latest single, “Joy of My Life” (dedicated to his wife). For “Centerfield,” he brandished a baseball bat-shaped guitar. Perfect. Throughout the night, the younger Fogertys shred, sang, and made dad proud. He just stood back and smiled when they took the spotlight.

With its singalong “It ain’t me, it ain’t me!” lyrics, the often misunderstood “Fortunate Son” was a highlight. The song became an antiwar anthem at the peak of the U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War. Fogerty once stated, “It’s the old saying about rich men making war and poor men having to fight them.” So many of Fogerty’s songs have been permanently woven into the fabric of American culture. Even the casual music fan most likely knows a majority of these CCR/Fogerty tunes. Take a peek at the setlist below.

It was an intensely steamy night in Atlanta, with highs in the nineties and unsafe humidity levels. Nonetheless, the band and the fans danced and sang through it. Fogerty himself was not slowed, jogging and jumping around the stage, smiling with every new song. Crowd favorites included “Green River,” “Lookin’ Out My Back Door,” “Down On the Corner,” and the encores, “Travelin’ Band” and “Proud Mary.”

Openers Hearty Har thrashed and rocked through the set like CCR contemporaries from the late sixties. It’s easy to see the old man has influenced their musical tastes. Shane and Tyler have recently made a name for themselves, writing and producing all their own stuff. Their latest single “Say Something” is terrific and the entire band is tight. They deserve the exposure on the Celebration Tour and the brothers add fresh sounds to dad’s show.

Fogerty continues to tour America through September. Catch him if you can. It is a bucketlist show every rock ‘n’ roll fan must see. For more information, visit his website.