Revisiting Creedence at the Garde Arts Center
Revisiting Creedence at the Garde Arts Center brings one of rock’s most recognizable catalogs to New London on Sunday, August 23, with a band that has a much closer connection to Creedence Clearwater Revival than the typical tribute act.
The concert begins at 7 p.m. at the historic Garde Arts Center. Tickets range from $42 to $62 plus fees.
Expect an evening packed with CCR classics including “Fortunate Son,” “Proud Mary,” “Bad Moon Rising,” “Have You Ever Seen the Rain,” “Green River,” “Born on the Bayou,” “Down on the Corner,” “Who’ll Stop the Rain” and “Up Around the Bend.”
This Isn’t Your Typical CCR Tribute Band
The distinction between Revisiting Creedence and a conventional tribute act is worth explaining.
Creedence Clearwater Revival’s original run was remarkably short. The band released its first album in 1968 and broke up in 1972, but during those few years created an extraordinary string of songs that became part of the American rock songbook.
Decades later, original CCR bassist Stu Cook and drummer Doug “Cosmo” Clifford formed Creedence Clearwater Revisited, taking the music back on the road without singer, guitarist and principal songwriter John Fogerty.
That group toured for approximately 25 years.
And that’s where the musicians coming to New London enter the story.
Revisiting Creedence lead singer Dan McGuinness and guitarist Kurt Griffey toured the world alongside Cook and Clifford as members of Creedence Clearwater Revisited. When the two original CCR members retired from touring, McGuinness and Griffey continued performing the music they had already spent years playing alongside them.
So while audiences aren’t seeing original members of Creedence Clearwater Revival at the Garde, they’re seeing musicians who were chosen to stand onstage and perform this material with them.
That’s a considerably stronger lineage than most tribute shows can claim.
Meet Revisiting Creedence
Dan McGuinness — Lead Vocals
McGuinness toured internationally with original CCR members Stu Cook and Doug Clifford as lead vocalist for Creedence Clearwater Revisited. He now takes the lead role in carrying that material forward with Revisiting Creedence.
Kurt Griffey — Lead Guitar
Griffey also toured with Cook and Clifford in Creedence Clearwater Revisited. His résumé extends well beyond the CCR catalog, including performances with Carlos Santana and musicians associated with the Eagles, Journey, Foreigner, Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Moody Blues and Wings.
Ron Wikso — Drums
Wikso’s connection is equally interesting. Doug Clifford personally selected him to substitute on drums in Creedence Clearwater Revisited. Wikso has also performed with major acts including Foreigner and the Steve Miller Band.
Mick Mahan — Bass
Mahan brings another direct connection to the Creedence story. He was recruited to record CCR material by John Fogerty himself and spent more than three decades touring with Pat Benatar.
Put those four résumés together and the result isn’t a group of musicians who simply decided they liked Creedence songs.
They’ve already lived with this music professionally.
A Remarkable Catalog Built in Just a Few Years
Part of the appeal of a show like this is realizing how many familiar songs Creedence Clearwater Revival produced during such a compressed period.
“Proud Mary.” “Bad Moon Rising.” “Green River.” “Down on the Corner.” “Fortunate Son.” “Travelin’ Band.” “Run Through the Jungle.” “Who’ll Stop the Rain.” “Lookin’ Out My Back Door.” “Have You Ever Seen the Rain.”
The songs blended rock and roll, country, blues and Southern roots influences into the swamp-rock sound associated with CCR, despite the original band coming from California.
Revisiting Creedence’s repertoire reaches deeply into that catalog, including not only the biggest radio standards but songs such as “Long As I Can See the Light,” “The Midnight Special” and “Suzie Q.”
For anyone who grew up with classic-rock radio, there’s a decent chance you’ll recognize the opening bars of one song after another.
Continuing the Creedence Live Tradition
Revisiting Creedence isn’t presented as a recreation of CCR circa 1969.
Instead, the band’s history follows a fairly unusual path.
CCR ended in the early 1970s. Cook and Clifford eventually returned to the road as Creedence Clearwater Revisited, where McGuinness and Griffey became part of the live presentation of those songs. Revisiting Creedence grew from that experience after Cook and Clifford stepped away from touring.
It creates a direct musical connection between the current show and the musicians who originally recorded the songs more than half a century ago.
Classic Rock Inside a Classic New London Theater
Sunday’s concert also arrives during a milestone year for the Garde Arts Center.
The State Street theater opened in 1926 as a vaudeville house and movie palace, making 2026 its centennial year. After surviving decades of changes in downtown New London, the restored theater has become one of southeastern Connecticut’s major performing arts venues.
Its approximately 1,400-seat main theater also creates a considerably more intimate environment than many of the large outdoor festivals and venues where this music has been performed over the years.
There’s something fitting about that combination: songs that have survived for more than half a century filling a New London theater celebrating a century of its own.
Event Details
Event: Revisiting Creedence
Date: Sunday, August 23, 2026
Time: 7 p.m.
Tickets: $42–$62 plus fees
Location: Garde Arts Center
Address: 325 State Street, New London, CT 06320
Audiences can expect music from throughout the Creedence Clearwater Revival catalog, performed by musicians with direct professional connections to the original CCR members and Creedence Clearwater Revisited.
More information is available at the Event Website link below.
To purchase tickets, click the Event Ticketing link below.
Featured image is an artistic representation inspired by the event and may not depict the actual people, location, or activities shown.
