It's arguably one of the greatest tragedies in rock history. The short lifespan of Creedence Clearwater Revival.
In just five, short years Creedence Clearwater Revival released a slew of hits and platinum albums which would become engrained in the souls of fans and musicians for multiple generations.But in-fighting between band members John Fogerty, Tom Fogerty, Stu Cook and Doug Clifford brought the incendiary reign of this influential group to a decided close in 1972.
Despite this, their immortal songs have endured, influencing scores of musicians over the past five decades.
On Friday night (18 June) fans filled the QPAC Concert Hall (Brisbane) for an unforgettable night reliving the timeless music of CCR, authentically re-created by Proud Mary.
Featuring bassist Eddie Parise and drummer Frank Celenza, formerly of internationally renowned '90s platinum recording act the Baby Animals, and fronted by Western Australia's Ryan Rafferty and Paul Cushing, Proud Mary delivered a genuine, inspired tribute, which left no doubt as to why this group has rapidly gained momentum as the country's best CCR live tribute band.
Kicking off with 'Born On The Bayou', Proud Mary effortlessly transported concert goers back to the birth of roots rock and a time when Creedence was truly the soundtrack of a generation. The irresistible pull of Creedence's signature rhythm had audience members up on their feet and dancing in the aisles throughout the concert.
I was certainly swept up down memory lane as the set moved through Creedence's iconic tunes; and as my eyes gazed at the sea of heads, bobbing in time to the music, I could almost feel the vast ocean of all our collective memories filling the room like smoke, as Proud Mary so brilliantly performed the soundtrack to our lives as curated by Creedence Clearwater Revival.
Ryan Rafferty's vocals are such an immaculate match that with eyes closed one would be forgiven for thinking John Fogerty himself was up there on that stage.
While for die-hard fans the hope of a reunion of original band members is still wishful thinking, at least for fans in Australia we can fill our Creedence cup with a show by Proud Mary.
