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Old 31.03.2012, 21:35
Arisin Wind Arisin Wind is offline
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Well we went to see CCRv last night at The Mahaffey Theater in St Petersburg Florida and what a show! This was one of those concert adventures where everything went perfect. I left work early so we'd have time to make the 190 mile drive to St Petersburg. My wife and daughter were ready to go when I got home so we had butts in seats at 4PM heading down the road. Traffic wasn't too bad. Lots of college kids driving south from snow country on Spring break.

We arrived at the Mahaffey Theater about an hour before show time to find the sponsoring radio station had a local band playing out front. The lead singer reminded me of Joe Cocker. They were worth a minute or two.

Once the doors opened I picked up the latest tour T-shirt in "goes with everything" black. We found our seats - front row, balcony center and was ready for the show. CCRv took the stage about five minutes after eight to a rousing welcome from the crowd. The place was full but not sold out. The empty seats were the box seats along the sides. Some had people and others were empty. I thought perhaps they were private boxes for season ticket holders. The rest of the theater was full and enthusiastic.

Before the concert I was a little worried about the sound. Indoor venues can be real awful sounding. The sound guys did a fantastic job though. CCRv sounded great. A beautiful balance on the sound at the right volume - loud without distortion.

This was the first show for The North American Tour (as stated on the T-shirt) but they were very tight having just returned from their South American Tour leg a couple weeks ago. They ran through the familiar hits in masterful precision. The new guitarist, Kurt Griffy, has the lead guitarist work down. He has kept much of Elliot Easton's flourishes to the songs while adding his own touches. He was rewarded every time with rounds of applause and standing ovations after his lead work.

The band received a spontaneous standing ovation at the end of I Heard It through The Grapevine. With Kurt's solo guitar, Stu's bass solo, and Doug's drum solo the crowd was pumped. When Doug's solo ended and the band broke into the closing familiar rhythm the audience jumped to their feet in applause. The performance was simply fantastic.

Usually at a concert you have people start to filter out near the end. The people who want to beat the crowd. This didn't happen at this concert. The people stayed until the last note was played, and applauded and celebrated as the band took their bows.

We didn't get back home until almost 2AM this morning. My wife remarked several times about how good the band sounded and the enthusiasm with which they played.

If you are debating about whether or not to see Stu, Doug and the band on this tour don't miss them! They have the CCR sound down pat and it's a memorable experience. You can close your eyes during the concert, and it's 40+ years ago. With the music of Creedence, blowing in on the arisin' wind.
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