A BRYAN ADAMS EVE FOR KIDS WHO WANNA ROCK

LIVE FOGERTY: After a decade away from rock, John Fogerty showed in last month’s “Centerfield” album that he can still make timely and terrific records. Phase two of Fogerty’s return was equally convincing as he made a concert video Thursday night on a sound stage at A&M; Records in Hollywood.

In his first formal performance in more than a dozen years, the former leader of Creedence Clearwater Revival sang with the same commanding intensity and desire that established him as one of the most respected male vocalists ever in rock. Backed by an all-star band (including keyboardist Booker T. Jones, bassist Duck Dunn and guitarist Albert Lee) and a male vocal quartet, Fogerty sidestepped Creedence material and all but one song from the new album in favor of some of the early gospel and R&B; tunes that helped shape his rock vision.

Those songs ranged from the restrained gospel touches of “Mary, Don’t You Weep” to the rowdier R&B; drive of Hank Ballard’s “Let’s Go, Let’s Go, Let’s Go (Thrill on the Hill).” The only new material: the Textones’ “No Love in You” and his own effervescent “Rock and Roll Girls,” which will be the next single from “Centerfield.”

Fogerty was suffering from a sore throat and he seemed hesitant to test his voice during the opening set. As he went through the same songs a second time, however, he opened up, exhibiting an urgent, soulful phrasing reminiscent of great country singers like Merle Haggard and George Jones.

Before his decade on the sidelines, Fogerty wrote a poignant ballad called “Someday Never Comes,” and that title assumed a sad, ironic ring over the years as Fogerty’s chances of reasserting his artistry seemed increasingly faint. But the success of “Centerfield” and Thursday’s concert confirms that someday has indeed come for him.