End of the road
Creedence Clearwater Revisited calling it quits after final tour
It’s been a bittersweet year for Stu Clark. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame legend is calling it quits after decades in music. “We’ve been putting it off for a long time,” Clark says in a recent interview. “You just have to step back. It’s our 25th year and it seemed like a good number to cap it off on. The travel, the meals and the hours are less and less to our liking. We miss a lot of birthdays on tour. We’ve been there and done that.”
Clark and Doug Clifford founded Creedence Clearwater Revisited 25 years ago.
Both musicians were members of the legendary Creedence Clearwater Revival.
Creedence Clearwater Revisited will play its last show in Albuquerque on Friday, Nov. 8, at Legends Theater at Route 66 Casino.
Starting the project was a no-brainer for Clark and Clifford, because former Creedence Clearwater Revival frontman John Fogerty was not performing the band’s songs and didn’t want to participate in the reunion.
“Despite the continued popularity of the CCR hits, no one was playing them live for the fans,” Clark says. “We decided that it only made sense that since Doug and I love little more than performing together, if we could find the right musicians to join us, we’d put a band together and hit the road. It was actually kind of a pioneering concept at the time. Not many classic rock bands toured without all original members, except maybe The Beach Boys. Now it seems like every group is doing it.”
Clark says the original goal for the side project was to tour for a year.
“What a year it’s been,” he says with a laugh. “We always felt good enough to be out on the road and performing. It’s what Doug and I know how to do. We always said we’d stop when we weren’t having fun. The time is now.”
Reaching generations of fans through music is one aspect Clark will miss.
Though he does have plans to tell his story through a public speaking tour.
“I’ve experienced a lot through music,” he says. “I don’t really like looking back at the past. But being able to speak publicly about my life seems like a good thing. I spent the last 25 years trying to become a better musician. I’m 74 years old now and it’s time to take it slow.”