John Fogerty - Centerfield

First performance: 01/10/2004


Coverinfo

In preparation for the Vote For Change Tour, Centerfield is known to have been practiced during two of the tour's three private rehearsals : 
 
28 Sep 2004 at Convention Hall, Asbury Park, NJ (private rehearsal)
29 Sep 2004 at Convention Hall, Asbury Park, NJ (private rehearsal)
 
Centerfield was performed 6 times during the Vote For Change Tour. On this tour, the song was always played with John Fogerty on lead vocals; Springsteen played rhythm guitar throughout the song and joined on vocals for the chorus.
 
 
2004-10-13 Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, NJ
THE STAR-SPANGLED BANNER / BETTER MAN (with Eddie Vedder) / DEJA VU (ALL OVER AGAIN) (with John Fogerty) / FORTUNATE SON (with John Fogerty) / MARY'S PLACE - THE MONKEY TIME / PROUD MARY (with John Fogerty) / BAD MOON RISING (with John Fogerty) / TRAVELIN' BAND (with John Fogerty) / (WHAT'S SO FUNNY 'BOUT) PEACE, LOVE AND UNDERSTANDING (with Jackson Browne, Eddie Vedder, and John Fogerty) / PEOPLE HAVE THE POWER (with Jackson Browne, Eddie Vedder, and John Fogerty)
  
 

2004-10-08 TD Waterhouse Centre, Orlando, FL
Bruce guests with R.E.M on "Permanent Vacation" and "Man On The Moon". "Mary's Place" includes "The Monkey Time".

2004-10-05 Xcel Energy Center, Saint Paul, MN
Neil Young guests on "All Along The Watchtower" ."Mary's Place" includes "The Monkey Time".

2004-10-03 Cobo Arena, Detroit, MI
"Mary's Place" includes "The Monkey Time". The Dixie Chicks join for the "People Have The Power" finale. The Dixie Chicks are an American country band which has also successfully crossed over into other genres. The band is composed of founding members (and sisters) Martie Erwin Maguire and Emily Erwin Robison, and lead singer Natalie Maines. The band formed in 1989 in Dallas, Texas and was originally composed of four women performing bluegrass and country music, busking and touring the bluegrass festival circuits and small venues for six years without attracting a major label. 

2004-10-02 Gund Arena, Cleveland, OH
Bruce joins R.E.M. for two songs this time - "Bad Day" and "Man On The Moon". "Mary's Place" includes "The Monkey Time".

2004-10-01 Wachovia Center, Philadelphia, PA  
First in the Vote For Change concert series. The series is designed to encourage people to register and vote in the upcoming elections, with each concert held in swing states. Although the tour is not obviously partisan, the general tone of the performers is in support of Democrat candidate John Kerry. Bruce and the band perform along with R.E.M. and Bright Eyes. Bruce joins R.E.M. during their set for "Man On The Moon". "The Star-Spangled Banner" is played on a 12-string acoustic guitar. "Mary's Place" includes "The Monkey Time".
  

Songinfo

"Centerfield" is the title track from John Fogerty's album Centerfield, Fogerty's first solo album after a nine-year hiatus. Originally the b-side of the album's second single, "Rock and Roll Girls" ( 1985). The song is now commonly played at baseball games across the United States. Along with "Take Me Out to the Ball Game," it is one of the best-known baseball songs. Fogerty took approximately 10 years off from recording after leaving Creedence Clearwater Revival and releasing two solo albums. For his comeback album, he chose “Centerfield” as the name of the album before he wrote the song. Fogerty said the song was easy to write. "I was practicing a song, and I came up with that guitar riff that starts the song," he said. "I went into the studio, playing the guitar with a drumbeat and it just came out." Baseball legends mentioned in the song include Joe DiMaggio, Willie Mays, and Ty Cobb, all of them center fielders. Fogerty quoted a line from Chuck Berry's "Brown Eyed Handsome Man" in the first verse: "rounding third, he was heading for home."  The second verse refers to Casey from the poem "Casey at the Bat". The final verse quotes longtime Oakland Athletics and San Francisco Giants broadcaster Lon Simmons, whose home run call was "Tell it goodbye!". In a radio interview with Dan Patrick on October 8, 2015, Fogerty mentioned that he always pictured Jackie Robinson as the "brown eyed handsome man" who was "rounding third, headed for home". 
 
 
 

Other cover versions

Bruce on the artist

Bruce on John Fogerty:
 
2004-10-05 - XCEL ENERGY CENTER, ST. PAUL  
'Soozie Tyrell on the fiddle....Danny Federici on the accordion....Nils Lofgren on the slide ....Professor Roy Bittan on the piano....Garry Tallent on the standup bass....I wanna bring out now somebody who´s for a long, long time been one of my very favorite musicians and artists, one of the, ... he´s one of America´s greatest, greatest songwriters, I always thought that he was our generation´s Hank Williams ...I´m proud to have on our stage, Mr. John Fogerty....'
 
Also see CCR 
 
Bruce had 20 appearances with John Fogerty:

1987-01-21 - WALDORF-ASTORIA HOTEL, NEW YORK CITY
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

1988-01-20 - WALDORF-ASTORIA HOTEL, NEW YORK CITY
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

1990-01-17 - WALDORF-ASTORIA HOTEL, NEW YORK CITY
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

1991-01-16 - WALDORF-ASTORIA HOTEL, NEW YORK CITY
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

1993-01-12 - CENTURY PLAZA HOTEL, LOS ANGELES,
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

1994-04-29 - HOUSE OF BLUES, WEST HOLLYWOOD
1994-09-20 - HOUSE OF BLUES, WEST HOLLYWOOD

2004-09-29 - CONVENTION HALL, ASBURY PARK
rehearsal

2004-10-01 - WACHOVIA CENTER, PHILADELPHIA
2004-10-02 - GUND ARENA, CLEVELAND, OH
2004-10-03 - COBO ARENA, DETROIT, MI
2004-10-05 - XCEL ENERGY CENTER, ST. PAUL, MN
2004-10-08 - TD WATERHOUSE CENTRE, ORLANDO, FL
2004-10-11 - MCI CENTER, WASHINGTON, DC
2004-10-13 - CONTINENTAL AIRLINES ARENA, EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ
2006-08-05 - PNC BANK ARTS CENTER, HOLMDEL, NJ 

2009-10-29 - MADISON SQUARE GARDEN, NEW YORK CITY
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame 25th Anniversary Concert

2012-07-14 - HYDE PARK, LONDON, ENGLAND
Hard Rock Calling Festival

2012-07-14 - HYDE PARK, LONDON, ENGLAND 

2014-05-03 - NEW ORLEANS FAIRGROUNDS, NEW ORLEANS
New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival
 
 

Lyrics

Well beat the drum and hold the phone, the sun came out today
We're born again, there's new grass on the field
A-rounding third, and headed for home, it's a brown-eyed handsome man
Anyone can understand the way I feel

Oh put me in, Coach, I'm ready to play today
Put me in, Coach, I'm ready to play today
Look at me, I can be Centerfield

Well I spent some time in the Mudville Nine, watching it from the bench
You know I took some lumps when the Mighty Casey struck out
So Say Hey Willie, tell Ty Cobb and Joe DiMaggio
Don't say it ain't so, you know the time is now

Oh put me in, Coach, I'm ready to play today
Put me in, Coach, I'm ready to play today
Look at me, I can be Centerfield

Yeah, I got it, I got it

Got a beat-up glove, a homemade bat, and brand new pair of shoes
You know I think it's time to give this game a ride
Just to hit the ball and touch 'em all, a moment in the sun
It's gone and you can tell that one goodbye

Oh put me in, Coach, I'm ready to play today
Put me in, Coach, I'm ready to play today
Look at me, yeah, I can be Centerfield

Oh put me in, Coach, I'm ready to play today
Put me in, Coach, I'm ready to play today
Look at me, gotta be Centerfield

Yeah