NewMexiKen attended the Willie Nelson-John Fogerty concert Saturday on a beautiful, cool (and no rain!) evening at Albuquerque’s Journal Pavilion. It was awesome.
Willie Nelson and Family began a 75-minute set at exactly 7:30 with “Whiskey River.” The crowd, many still milling on the patio with the vendors, scurried in. Among the many songs, nearly all of them part of the pop-country canon, were Willie’s own “Crazy” and “Night Life,” standards like “Blue Skies” and “Georgia on My Mind,” Nelson hits “Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain,” “Mamas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys,” “Angel Flying Too Close to the Ground,” and, of course, “On the Road Again.” The band closed with Hank Williams’ “I Saw the Light.”
A highlight was the piano playing of Willie’s sister Bobbie. Another, just seeing how incredibly well Willie plays after all these years, and how well his voice has held up.
Another member of the Family, Willie’s drummer, Paul English, was celebrating 40 years with Willie last night, and so we got “Me and Paul.”
It’s been rough and rocky travelin’,
But I’m finally standin’ upright on the ground.
After takin’ several readings,
I’m surprised to find my mind`s still fairly sound.
I guess Nashville was the roughest,
But I know I said the same about them all.
We received our education
In the cities of the nation, me and Paul.
Almost busted in Laredo,
But for reasons that I’d rather not disclose,
But if you’re stayin’ in a motel there and leave,
Just don’t leave nothin’ in your clothes.
Willie has looked old for some time and he looked every bit of 73 in his baggy jeans last night. A small man, he appears to have become even more compact. He does however, have forearms a man half his age might envy. That’s what all the guitar playing will do. And Willie’s guitar (that incredibly beautiful sounding Martin) — is so worn it has a large hole in it.
Trigger has been played so much, there is a rather sizable hole worn right through the top, one that Willie considers so sentimental, he won’t have it repaired. In addition, Nelson estimates that he has 100 signatures on his Martin including those of Leon Russell, Roger Miller, Kris Kristofferson, Gene Autry, Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, lawyers, football coaches, and other friends and associates. When asked why his guitar is named Trigger, Willie explains: “Roy Rogers had a horse named Trigger. I figured this is my horse!” (Harmony Central)
Seeing Willie Nelson is a lot like seeing Mount Rushmore or the Grand Canyon. You can’t quite be a complete American unless you visit these icons. When Willie and Family appear near you, go. Don’t wait too long. As Willie reminded us:
Too many pain pills
Too much pot
Tryin’ to be something that I’m not
I ain’t Superman
Then, after a 20-25 minute intermission, we rocked. Rocked hard for nearly two hours. And I’m thinking the nearby Albuquerque International airport probably called to complain about the noise.
John Fogerty, 61 years old, but looking startlingly younger, seemed like he was having the time of his life, from one side of the stage to another. And how does his voice hold out? He wore out the audience, much of which was on its feet for the entire set. (We all seemed to particularly appreciate Willie Nelson returning for a duet with Fogerty on Hank Williams’ “Jambalaya.”)
Playing an incredible number of different guitars (the antithesis of Willie Nelson in this regard), he covered all of his Creedence Clearwater Revival hits — “Travelin’ Band,” “Who’ll Stop the Rain,” “Green River,” “Lookin’ Out My Back Door,” “Heard It through the Grapevine,” “Born on the Bayou,” “Down on the Corner” (with teen-age son Shane playing that great rhythm guitar opening) — and some of his more recent as well, like “Centerfield,” played with a Louisville Slugger guitar.
Oh, put me in, Coach – I’m ready to play today;
Put me in, Coach – I’m ready to play today;
Look at me, I can be Centerfield.
Fogerty’s even more recent, anti-war song, “Deja Vu” (All Over Again) was warmly received:
Did you hear ’em talkin’ ’bout it on the radio
Did you try to read the writing on the wall
Did that voice inside you say I’ve heard it all before
It’s like Deja Vu all over again
Day by day I hear the voices rising
Started with a whisper like it did before
Day by day we count the dead and dying
Ship the bodies home while the networks all keep score
Fogerty closed with his most famous anthem, “Fortunate Son,” but we didn’t have to work too hard to get him back for a two song encore. And what would the night have been without “Bad Moon Rising” and “Proud Mary”?
Left a good job in the city,
Workin for the man evry night and day,
And I never lost one minute of sleepin,
Worryin bout the way things might have been.
Big wheel keep on turnin,
Proud Mary keep on burnin,
Rollin, rollin, rollin on the river.
And I’m still rollin’ this morning.