Courtesy of John Fogerty/CAA
Courtesy of John Fogerty/CAAGet ready for a root-rock extravaganza, as ZZ Top and ex-Creedence Clearwater Revival frontman John Fogerty kick off their Blues & Bayous Tour tonight in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
The 24-date U.S. co-headlining trek is plotted out through a June 29 concert in Welch, Minnesota, and ZZ Top’s Billy Gibbons says the outing will offer rock-music lovers “a good bang for the buck.”
Gibbons tells ABC Radio that he’s a longtime fan of Fogerty and CCR, noting, “Every song that they delivered, there was something about it. It was very infectious. You just kind of liked listening to it.”
Billy also points out that he recently attended a Nashville brewery-sponsored event at which CCR songs were blasting over the sound system, and he recalls thinking how the band’s music “resonates continually.” He adds, “Their stuff was some of the best.”
Meanwhile, Gibbons says that people coming out to the shows can expect some onstage ZZ Top–Fogerty collaborations. In preparation for the tour, Billy visited John and his band at Fogerty’s studio, where he says they spent an unexpectedly long time playing each other’s tunes.
“We decided to put our heads together and see what would shake [out],” Gibbons recalls. “And he said, ‘Well, we only need just a little bit of this and a little bit of that,’ which turned out to be a three-hour lovely tour together. I said, ‘John, we got something going on here. Let’s strike it up.’ He said, ‘All right, yeah.'”
Among the songs the two acts are likely to perform together is the just-announced new tune “Holy Grail,” which Fogerty and Gibbons recorded together. It’ll be released digitally on June 8.
Here are all of the Blues & Bayous Tour dates:
5/25 — Atlantic City, NJ, Borgata Spa & Resort – Event Center
5/26 — Holmdel, NJ, PNC Bank Arts Center
5/27 — Uncasville, CT, Mohegan Sun Arena
5/29 — Vienna, VA, Wolf Trap
5/30 — Vienna, VA, Wolf Trap
6/1 — Pensacola, FL, Pensacola Bay Center
6/2 — Clearwater, FL, Coachman Park
6/3 — West Palm Beach, FL Coral Sky Amphitheater
6/5 — St. Augustine, FL, St. Augustine Amphitheater
6/6 — Atlanta, GA, State Bank Amphitheater at Chastain Park
6/10 — Oklahoma City, OK, Zoo Amphitheater
6/12 — Highland Park, IL, Ravinia Festival
6/13 — Noblesville, IN, Ruoff Home Mortgage Music Center
6/14 — Cincinnati, OH, Riverbend Music Center
6/17 — Maryland Heights, MO, Hollywood Casino Amphitheater
6/19 — Youngstown, OH, Covelli Centre
6/20 — Wantagh, NY, Northwell Heath at Jones Beach Theater
6/22 — Gilford, NH, Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion
6/23 — Canandaigua, NY, Marvin Sands Performing Arts Center
6/24 — Camden, NJ, BB&T Pavilion
6/26 — Mount Pleasant, MI, Soaring Eagle Casino & Resort*
6/27 — Clarkston, MI, DTE Energy Music Theatre
6/29 — Welch, MN, Treasure Island Resort & Casino
* = with Willie Nelson.
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