Travelin' Band: Creedence Clearwater Revival at the Royal Albert Hall

I always liked John Fogerty and Creedence but was never a fanatic. There music is very distinct and very American. This documentary and concert finale covers their first European trip. It is a good documentary because it weaves the background and history of the band in without making it boring. The story is told through interviews and old footage and in between concert and travel footage. It is a very cool look for the avid fan, or casual one. The concerto is excellent. Its has significance because it is from The Royal Albert Hall, where the Beatles went big, and around the time the Beatles announced they were splitting up. If you are a CCR fan I would add an additional star.

"Travelin' Band: Creedence Clearwater Revival at the Royal Albert Hall" (filmed in 1970; released in 2022; 86 min.) is a documentary about CCR's 1970 European tour, culminating with 2 shows at the legendary Royal Albert Hall in London. Thankfully someone had the foresight to film one of these sets. As the documentary opens, the 4 guys in CCR are right in front of the Royal Albert Hall, grinning from ear to ear. "Can't wait to play here!" We then get short clips from some of their other European shows (Copenhagen, Stockholm, Berlin, Paris). At that point we go back to the band's origins, in the late 50s in El Cerrito, CA. Indeed, by the time the band broke big in 1968, they had been together for years.

Couple of comments: this is the long rumored release of the concert footage from CCR's show on April 14, 1970 at the Royal Albert Hall. Tis documentary is in fact a 3-for-1: there is the footage of them traveling around Europe (about 15 min.), then there is a look at the band's history leading up to that European tour (about 20 min.), and then comes the actual Royal Albert Hall show in its entirety (about 45 min.). If it were up to me, I'd have reduced the amount of time devoted to the band's history, and instead showing us more of the footage from the European tour (some gems like when they talk about that this is their very first visit to Europe, and their initial impressions). But of course the raison d'etre of this release is the Royal Albert Hall show. This was 8 month's after the band's legendary set at Woodstock. To be clear: they are in very fine form (check the outstanding "Born On the Bayou"), rip-roaring through 12 cuts in just 42 minutes. Yes, that is not a typo, they complete set clocks in at 42 minutes. Not sure how this is possible. How many opening bands were there? Anyway, the audio quality is top notch (this is also available as a CD), and the video quality is okay but not top notch. But the historic significance of this only goes up with each passing year. (For another footage gem of that era, look on YouTube for Deep Purple's Concert for Group Orchestra, filmed at the very same Royal Albert Hall in September, 1969.)

"Travelin' Band: CCR at the Royal Albert Hall" premiered on Netflix last Fall, and I completely missed it. Thankfully Netflix recommended it to me recently based on my viewing habits, and I watched it just the other night. Under normal circumstances I'd have rated it a solid 7 stars, but given the historical significance of this long overdue release, I'm rating it a generous 8 stars. Of course don't take my words for it, so check it out and draw your own conclusion.

For a film like this to get almost no press and to have a quiet release on Netflix is a crime. This documentary was a really fun watch as it goes over the history of Creedence up until their performance at the Royal Albert Hall. Not only that but you get the full, unseen concert recording, remastered and all. I will admit I haven't seen the full concert portion yet but I'm going to take it in increments. Jeff Bridges as the narrator was a slam dunk as he gives a sort of heft to the narration that suits CCR. Although I would consider The Beatles: Get Back the gold standard of music documentaries, this should not be slept on and deserves a watch. Please tell your friends to watch this if they have any interest, it's worth it.

7.8/10 (could change in the future)

John Fogerty is a national treasure and after watching this documentary, I now have a greater appreciation for his talents as a singer, songwriter and guitar player.

Jeff Bridges narrates the first half which covers Creedence Clearwater Revival's first tour of Europe with a few snippets of concert footage and gives a brief background on the four musicians.

The second half is simply mind blowing. It was filmed in April of 1970 at Royal Albert Hall in London shortly after the breakup of The Beatles. John Fogerty was justifiably nervous as he took the stage but he says very little other than thank you in between the twelve song set list. No special lighting was used and the music is awesome. Two guitars, a bass and drums and a few large amplifiers filled the stage.

I cranked up my small JBL computer speakers and recommend that anyone watching do the same.

Here is the song list 1-Travelin' Band 2-Born on the Bayou 3-Green River 4-Tombstone Shadow 5-Fortunate Son 6-Commotion 7-Midnight Special 8-Bad Moon Rising 9-Proud Mary 10-The Night is the Right Time 11-Good Golly Miss Molly 12-Keep on Chooglin'

I knew most of their hits as they were always being played throughout the duration of the Vietnam debacle, but some of this footage is utterly mesmerising. I've seen very little live footage of them over the decades, but to be blessed by the whole concert, at the Albert Hall in 1970, is a privilege worth savouring. The sound quality is bang on. To learn that "The Fortunate One" was all about the privileged who avoided the draft is fascinating in its own right. The astonishing thing about the live concert, is that the 4 of them are in a 20 foot radius of each other, tight in every aspect. Miss this at your peril.