Springsteen to Back Fogerty on Tour
NEW YORK/NASHVILLE (Billboard) – In what promises to fulfill a classic rock fan’s dream, Bruce Springsteen says he and the E Street Band will play with John Fogerty on the upcoming Vote for Change tour.
“We’re gonna back John,” Springsteen told Jay Lustig in Thursday’s edition of New Jersey’s Star-Ledger newspaper. “John’s coming, he doesn’t have a band right now, so we’re gonna do our best for him.”
Asked if he would be on stage for that part of the show, Springsteen said, “Are you kidding me? I’m going to be playing those John Fogerty songs. You better believe it.”
The five shows they’ll play together will kick off Oct. 1 in Philadelphia and also feature R.E.M. and indie rock act Bright Eyes on the bill.
Unabashed fans, Springsteen and the E Street Band have frequently covered Fogerty’s Creedence Clearwater Revival-era songs in concert, including tapping “Who’ll Stop the Rain” during bad weather at outdoor stadium shows. Springsteen also spoke at Creedence’s 1993 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and jammed with Fogerty at the Los Angeles event.
In the midst of a handful of solo dates that wrap Sunday in Houston, Fogerty is readying the release of a new album, “Deja Vu (All Over Again),” due Sept. 21 via Geffen. The title track is a sharp critique of the war in Iraq, with such lyrics as “Day by day we count the dead and dying / Ship the bodies home while the networks all keep score.”
The album includes guest appearances by Tom Petty keyboardist Benmont Tench, drummer Kenny Aronoff, dobro master Jerry Douglas, and Dire Straits frontman Mark Knopfler.
As for the Vote for Change tour, it will feature various groupings of artists playing concerts in electoral swing states across a few days in early October in an effort to oust George Bush from the presidency. The entire tour is being presented by MoveOn.Org’s political action committee MoveOn PAC and America Coming Together (ACT), an organization advocating change in government.
Springsteen told the Star-Ledger that the idea for the tour came out of conversations with his manager, Jon Landau about “wanting to do something this election season.” Landau convened with the managers of other participating acts, such as Pearl Jam and the Dixie Chicks, and the tour was born.
“These artist citizens all feel the need to speak out,” Landau told Billboard. “They will do that respectfully and intelligently, then let the chips fall where they may.”
The tour is sophisticated in its targeted approach, instead of grandstanding in major media markets. While Philadelphia, Cleveland, Milwaukee and Orlando, Fla., are on the route, so are Ames, Iowa; Kalamazoo, Mich.; Toledo, Ohio; and Asheville, N.C.
“We don’t have a show in New York or Los Angeles, because (those cities) don’t need this,” Landau added. “These artists are not out there to play for their buddies. The last time Bruce played Ann Arbor (Mich.) was 1980. We want to make sure people there know.”
“The goal is very clear,” Springsteen said in the Star-Ledger. “We want to change administrations in November… It’s a combination of voter mobilization and some education. It’s going to be a lot of fun and entertaining for people — and inspirational, hopefully.”
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