Creedence Clearwater Revival Woodstock

Creedence Clearwater Revival Woodstock

And so it was Sunday 12:30 AM and Saturday’s show continued. CCR would play for about 55 minutes. Some bands sound like their albums. Some decide to improvise around them. Creedence had lots of hit singles and they played them like we’d heard them. For many, that’s what they want.

Last year in an LA Times interview, John  Fogerty recounted his Haze-filled memory of the event:

I’d been seeing a lot of billboards that said something like “Come to Woodstock for 3 days of Peace, Love and Music.” I got the call to perform in June or maybe July, which seemed pretty late in the game. I wanted to make sure Creedence got a good spot and they agreed to put us on at 9 on Saturday night. It turns out we were the first act to sign, and once we did, all the other acts fell in step. But I didn’t know this at the time. We were told we would go on after the Grateful Dead. They didn’t start until after 9, and they played for 45 minutes and I thought, “Great, we’ll be on pretty soon.” But then they started playing again, and played for another 45 minutes. They didn’t finish until after midnight. I found out in the ‘90s that they’d dropped LSD before they went on, and so there they were onstage, what do you say, pretty bewildered. 

We ran onstage ready to rock ’n’ roll, but everybody was just lying there in front of the stage asleep.

The Dead came on at 10:30. They played two songs (four minutes, 46 second), before tech issues forced them to stop for awhile. When they restarted they played for an hour and five minutes.

John’s complaint that the crowd was too tired to listen to their set is belied when you listening to the crowd’s enthusiasm. It’s also interesting to think that “all the other acts fell in step” right after Woodstock Ventures signed them. Hubris.

John was a prolific songwriter and the set shows off that skill. He wrote eight of the eleven other than three covers: I Put a Spell On You by Jay Hawkins, The Night Time Is the Right Time by  Nappy Brown, and Susie Q by Dale Hawkins and Robert Chaisson. It would be his insistence to disallow any other band member’s compositions that eventually drove a wedge between himself and the rest of the band, including his brother, Tom.

At no point in the 2019 Rhino Woodstock — Back To The Garden — The 50th Anniversary Archive release do we hear John say “We’re playing our hearts out for you and want you to have a good time.” nor someone shout back, “Don’t worry about it, John.”

Of course, it could be that John’s statement wasn’t recorded and that the kid’s shout wasn’t picked up, but given the huge amount of conversations and announcements included in the Rhino release, such a call and response would have been included.

Band:

Creedence Clearwater Revival Woodstock

Creedence Clearwater Revival Woodstock

Creedence Clearwater Revival Woodstock

Creedence Clearwater Revival Woodstock

Setlist

  • Born on the Bayou
  • Green River
  • Ninty-Nine-and-a-Half (Won’t Do)
  • Bootleg
  • Commotion
  • Bad Moon Rising
  • Proud Mary
  • I Put a Spell on You
  • The Night Time is the Right Time
  • Keep on Chooglin’
  • Susie Q
Creedence Clearwater Revival Woodstock

Born on the Bayou

Now when I was just a little boy
Standin’ to my Daddy’s knee
My Poppa said “son, don’t let the man get you do what he done to me”
‘Cause he’ll get you
‘Cause he’ll get you now, now
And I can remember the fourth of July
Runnin’ through the backwood bare
And I can still hear my old hound dog barkin’
Chasin’ down a hoodoo there
Chasin’ down a hoodoo there
Born on the Bayou
Born on the Bayou
Born on the Bayou
Wish I was back on the Bayou
Rollin’ with some Cajun Queen
Wishin’ I were a freight train
Oh, just a-chooglin’ on down to New Orleans
Born on the Bayou
Born on the Bayou
Born on the Bayou
Oh get back boy
And I can remember the fourth of July
Runnin’ through the backwood bare
And I can still hear my old hound dog barkin’
Chasin’ down a hoodoo there
Chasin’ down a hoodoo there
Born on the Bayou
Born on the Bayou
Born on the Bayou
Creedence Clearwater Revival Woodstock

Green River

Well, take me back down where cool water flows, yeah.
Let me remember things I love,
Stoppin’ at the log where catfish bite,
Walkin’ along the river road at night,
Barefoot girls dancin’ in the moonlight.

I can hear the bullfrog callin’ me.
Wonder if my rope’s still hangin’ to the tree.
Love to kick my feet ‘way down the shallow water.
Shoefly, dragonfly, get back t’your mother.
Pick up a flat rock, skip it across Green River.
Welllllll!

Up at Cody’s camp I spent my days, oh,
With flat car riders and cross-tie walkers.
Old Cody, Junior took me over,
Said, “You’re gonna find the world is smould’rin’.
And if you get lost come on home to Green River.”

Welllllll!

John mentions: “Multitude of problems. I’m sure you don’t want to hear about ’em.”

Creedence Clearwater Revival Woodstock

Ninty-Nine-and-a-Half (Won’t Do)

I got to have all your love
Night and day
Not just a little part
But all of your heart, sugar
Ninety-nine and a half just won’t do
Oh, no, no, just won’t get it
Don’t be led in the wrong direction
To start this thing off right
A man need a little love and affection
Yes he do, now
Ninety-nine and a half just won’t do
Whoa, oh, no, no, just won’t get it, all right
Look-a here
We got to bring it on down
Start it off right
We got to stop this messin’ around
And keep our thing up tight
Yes, we do, now
Ninety-nine and a half just won’t do
Whoa, oh, no, no, just won’t get it, all right, sugar
Got to have a hundred
Well, got to have a hundred
All right
Aah, I must do, I must do
I must do now
Oh!
Got to have a hundred, now
Well, got to have a hundred
Aah! Got to have a hundred, too right
Got to have a hundred, now, oh
Creedence Clearwater Revival Woodstock

Bootleg

Bootleg, bootleg,
Bootleg, howl.
Bootleg, bootleg,
Bootleg, howl.
Take you a glass of water
Make it against the law.
See how good the water tastes
When you can’t have any at all.
Bootleg, bootleg,
Bootleg, howl.
Bootleg, bootleg,
Bootleg, howl.
Findin’ a natural woman,
Like honey to a bee.
But you don’t buzz the flower.
When you know the honey’s free.
Bootleg, bootleg,
Bootleg, howl.
Bootleg, bootleg,
Bootleg, howl.
Suzy maybe give you some cherry pie,
But lord, that ain’t no fun.
Better you grab it when she ain’t lookin’
‘Cause you know you’d rather have it on the run.
Bootleg, bootleg,
Bootleg, howl.
Bootleg, bootleg,
Bootleg, howl.
Creedence Clearwater Revival Woodstock

Commotion

Traffic in the city turns my head around
No, no, no, no, no.
Backed up on the freeway, backed up in the church,
Everywhere you look there’s a frown, frown
Com, commotion,
Git, git, git, gone
Com, commotion,
Git, git, git, gone
People keep atalkin’, they don’t say a word
Jaw, jaw, jaw, jaw, jaw
Talk up in the White House, talk up to your door,
So much goin’ on I just can’t hear
Com, commotion,
Git, git, git, gone
Com, commotion,
Git, git, git, gone
Hurryin’ to get there so you save some time.
Run, run, run, run, run
Rushin’ to the treadmill, rushin’ to get home,
Worry ’bout the time you save, save
Com, commotion,
Git, git, git, gone
Com, commotion,
Git, git, git, gone
Com, commotion,
Git, git, git, gone
Creedence Clearwater Revival Woodstock

Bad Moon Rising

I see the bad moon a-rising
I see trouble on the way
I see earthquakes and lightnin’
I see bad times today
Don’t go around tonight
Well it’s bound to take your life
There’s a bad moon on the rise
I hear hurricanes a-blowing
I know the end is coming soon
I fear rivers over flowing
I hear the voice of rage and ruin
Well don’t go around tonight
Well it’s bound to take your life
There’s a bad moon on the rise, all right
Hope you got your things together
Hope you are quite prepared to die
Looks like we’re in for nasty weather
One eye is taken for an eye
Well don’t go around tonight
Well it’s bound to take your life
There’s a bad moon on the rise
Don’t come around tonight
Well it’s bound to take your life
There’s a bad moon on the rise
Creedence Clearwater Revival Woodstock

Proud Mary

Left a good job in the city
Workin’ for the man ev’ry 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
Cleaned a lot of plates in Memphis
Pumped a lot of pane down in New Orleans
But I never saw the good side of the city
‘Til I hitched a ride on a river boat queen
Big wheel keep on turnin’
Proud Mary keep on burnin’
Rollin’, rollin’, rollin’ on the river
Rollin’, rollin’, rollin’ on the river
If you come down to the river
Bet you gonna find some people who live
You don’t have to worry ’cause you have no money
People on the river are happy to give
Big wheel keep on turnin’
Proud Mary keep on burnin’
Rollin’, rollin’, rollin’ on the river
Rollin’, rollin’, rollin’ on the river
Rollin’, rollin’, rollin’ on the river
Rollin’, rollin’, rollin’ on the river
Creedence Clearwater Revival Woodstock

I Put A Spell On You

I put a spell on you, because you’re mine
You better stop the thing that you’re doin’
I said, “Watch out, I ain’t lyin'”, yeah
I ain’t gonna take none of your, foolin’ around
I ain’t gonna take none of your, puttin’ me down
I put a spell on you because you’re mine, all right
I put a spell on you, because you’re mine
You better stop, the thing that you’re doin’
I said, “Watch out, I ain’t lyin'”, yeah
I ain’t gonna take none of your, foolin’ around
I ain’t gonna take none of your, puttin’ me down
I put a spell on you because you’re mine, all right and I took it down
Creedence Clearwater Revival Woodstock

The Nighttime Is the Right Time

You know the night time
Oh, is the right time
To be with the one you love
I said the night time
Ooh, is the right time
To be with the one you love
I said the night time
Ooh, is the right time
To be with the one you love
Baby, I said a baby, baby
Come on and drive me crazy, lord
You know I love you
Always thinkin’ of you
Hey, baby
Oh I said, aw baby
You know the night time
Oh, is the right time
To be with the one you love
Alright sing the song to me
I said the night time
Oh, is the right time
To be with the one you love
I said the night time
Ooh, is the right time
To be with the one you love
I said the night time
Oh, is the right time
To be with the one you love
Creedence Clearwater Revival Woodstock

Keep on Chooglin’

Keep on chooglin’
Keep on chooglin’
Keep on chooglin’
Chooglin’,
Chooglin’
Maybe you don’t understand it
But if you’re a natural man,
You got to ball and have a good time
And that’s what I call chooglin’
Here comes Mary lookin’ for Harry,
She gonna choogle tonight
Here comes Louie, works in the sewer,
He gonna choogle tonight
Keep on chooglin’
Keep on chooglin’
Keep on chooglin’
Chooglin’,
Chooglin’
Keep on chooglin’
Keep on chooglin’
Keep on chooglin’
Chooglin’,
Chooglin’
If you can choose it, who can refuse it,
Y’all be chooglin’ tonight
Go on, take your pick, right from the git go,
You gotta choogle tonight
Creedence Clearwater Revival Woodstock

Susie Q

For their encore, called for by a raucous cheering crowd, the band came back for a nearly 11-minute Suzie Q.

Oh, Susie Q, Oh, Susie Q
Oh, Susie Q, Baby I love you, Susie Q
I like the way you walk
I like the way you talk
I like the way you walk I like the way you talk, Susie Q

Well, say that you’ll be true
well, say that you’ll be true,
Well, say that you’ll be true and never leave me blue, Susie Q

Well, say that you’ll be mine
well, say that you’ll be mine,
Well, say that you’ll be mine, baby all the time, Susie Q

Oh Susie Q, Oh Susie Q
Oh Susie Q, Baby I love you, Susie Q

I like the way you walk
I like the way you talk
I like the way you walk I like the way you talk, Susie Q.

Oh Susie Q, Oh susie Q
Oh Susie Q, Baby I love you, Susie Q

John: “Thank you y’all. See you later.”

Creedence Clearwater Revival Woodstock

The next performance is Janis Joplin.