I recently went to see John Fogarty live in Australia(Nov 2005) and was apprehensive as to whether this now 60 year old might measure up to my memory of those halcyon days when he led CCR in a blaze of glory. They were "the" band and their original songs have stood the test of time. Back then my father had just died of cancer and we had compulsory conscription to serve in Vietnam, based on a lottery of birthdates for 19 year olds. If your marble was drawn you had to go, otherwise be thrown in jail. Thank God I missed out and was able to stay and support my mother and 4 sisters. Many of my mates went, some never came back and others returned as broken men. There were no winners and sadly no heroes from what ended up as a "dirty" war. They were the unfortunate realities of Vietnam.

It saddened me greatly when CCR broke up. Several years on I was thrilled when John brought out "The Old Man is down the road" and later "Centerfield" and "Deja Vu". It was vintage Fogarty so I remained optimistic he could still put on a top show in 2005. Was I disappointed........ HELL NO. It was the best concert I've seen, even better than Joe Cocker or AC~DC who were the best shows I've ever been to previously. John went non-stop for over 2 hours, played all the hits, his voice was as powerful as ever and his energy output and enthusiam were incredible.

And what were his best songs........ clearly for mine they were Fortunate Son and Deja Vu(All Over Again). Forget the bloody politics and listen to the lyrics. Just like the USA we are also heavily committed in Iraq with no end in sight. There is no such thing as a good war and for 19 year olds to lose their lives(regardless of which country or side they belong) is an absolute tragedy.

One by one I see the old ghosts rising
Stumblin' 'cross Big Muddy
Where the light gets dim
Day after day another Momma's crying
She's lost her precious child
To a war that has no end

And you know what really made the Fogarty concert for me? Well, I have 6 kids aged from 27 down to 6 years old. We took the youngest and she danced and rocked the whole show long........ it was unbelievable. Adults were coming up to take turns of dancing with her. Obviously she had inherited my rock genes!

Than you John Fogarty........ you are every bit the legend I first heard some 39 years ago!!!