Last night, John Fogerty celebrated the opening show of his Creedence Clearwater Revival Celebration tour with a 90-minute set for a near-capacity crowd at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee recently bought back the publishing rights to his Creedence Clearwater Revival songwriting catalog after a decades-long battle with his former record label. To honor his re-acquisition of the classic catalog, Fogerty and his five-piece band (which includes his sons, Shane and Tyler) loaded the two-dozen-strong setlist with plenty of CCR favorites.

Kicking off with “Bad Moon Rising” and culminating with a two-song encore of “Down on the Corner” and “Proud Mary,” the performance touched down mostly with a seemingly unlimited supply of CCR standards yet also included a few deeper tracks, such as a darker, jammed-out “Effigy” and driving “Keep On Chooglin.” There were, as well, a few nods to his solo work–“The Old Man Down the Road” and “Centerfield”–the former featuring an extended guitar workout with Shane, then on the latter, with Fogerty donning a baseball-bat guitar for the ‘80s hit honoring the national pastime.  

Fogerty dedicated the ballad “Joy of My Life” to his wife Julie, who was in attendance, crediting her with providing the persistence in retaining his massively successful Creedence Clearwater Revival catalog. It was an obvious source of relief and satisfaction for the 77-year-old rock legend, who mentioned several times his gratitude for having his songs back. For years, Fogerty had opted not to perform his CCR material live. Late in the appearance, crew members wheeled out a table adorned with champagne and glasses as Fogerty raised a toast and a thank-you to his fans for their support amidst a burst of confetti and sparkling (but modest) pyrotechnics.

Fogerty’s spring run continues tonight with an appearance at New York City’s Radio City Music Hall and a headline spot next weekend at Southern California’s BeachLife Festival.  Further dates include a European trek and a slot in summer on Willie Nelson’s Outlaw Music Festival tour.  For more information, visit www.johnfogerty.com