They couldn't stop the rain, though John Fogerty & Willie Nelson shined at Star Lake

BURGETTSTOWN ― Maybe two seconds after John Fogerty finished "Have You Ever Seen The Rain?" a gnarly bolt of lightning gashed the menacingly yellow sky, as someone advised the famed rocker to get the heck off the Pavilion at Star Lake stage.

Just like that, the second rain delay of the evening commenced at Outlaw Music Festival − the first delay negating the entire set of alt-country singer Kathleen Edwards.

It had rained steadily, with some rolling thunder and lightning, throughout most of the seven selections Fogerty had sung up to that point, including another ironic title, "Who'll Stop The Rain." Fogerty had been sounding fabulous, ripping and roaring through classics like "Born on The Bayou" and "Green River" from his days writing one of American rock's greatest songbooks, with Creedence Clearwater Revival. His singing voice has retained its vigor, he demonstrated on solo hit "Rock and Roll Girls" and the bouncy "Looking Out My Back Door" as all the happy creatures were dancing on the muddy lawn.

But with the thunder and lightning intensifying, and the region under a tornado warning, venue officials cut short Fogerty's set, and maybe 20 minutes later announced on the intercom he would not return to the stage, though promising headliner Willie Nelson would go on as planned around 9:15 p.m. after the rain was supposed to subside.

You could sense the gloom among the 7,500 or so storm-wearied concertgoers who had been digging just the fourth Pittsburgh area performance this century from Fogerty grinding out electrifying notes on the exact same Rickenbacker guitar he played at Woodstock.

Assuming he was done, a smattering of audience members trickled toward the exits.

They missed a wonderful surprise.

After about 40 minutes of delays, Fogerty strolled on stage alone clutching an acoustic guitar and saying he felt badly about his set's abrupt ending, so he was going to sing a few songs solo while prep work continued for Nelson.

Fans cheered as Fogerty got back to business, singing "Bad Moon Rising," putting a little knowing chuckle into the line "looks like we're in for nasty weather."

Next up, the audience danced as Fogerty sang his masterpiece "Proud Mary," still uniquely bending the vocal notes for all the turnin' and burnin' and rollin' on the river parts.

True to his blues roots, Fogerty covered Lead Belly's "Cotton Fields" and finished with the fiery "Fortunate Son" that gave fans one last sing-along-with-the-chorus treat.

Fogerty's passion for performing was infectious, salvaging a night of lengthy rain delays.

Nelson, the 90-year-old icon, walked out on stage ahead of his four band members and took charge from there, spryly singing and nimbly picking his acoustic guitar through a set of timeless classics, beginning with "Whiskey River," plus a few ornery newer tunes.

Nelson plucked a satisfying Spanish sound on "Still Is Still Moving to Me." Bandmate Mickey Raphael added tasty harmonica to "I Never Cared for You."

Animated if not chatty, Nelson did his customary bit on "Mammas Don't Let Your Babies Grow up to Be Cowboys"; he growled the "mammas!" and cupped a hand to his right ear, encouraging an all-too-willing audience to belt out the rest of the chorus. They sang along some more for the country-western swinging "On The Road Again."

Couples held each other and swayed lightly for "You Were Always on My Mind" sung by Nelson with tender conviction.

Nelson sat next to his likewise seated son and guitarist Micah Nelson who handled lead vocals on his amusing ode to his father "Die When I'm High (Halfway to Heaven)." Papa sang harmony and used plunging hand gestures to mimic the part where if he doesn't reach heaven if he's high when he dies, at least he'll have a long fall before reaching the afterlife alternative.

Willie enthusiastically chimed in on the chorus as Micah sang "Everything is Bull----" which derides society's addiction to smartphones spewing the 24-hour news cycle. Micah also sang that song solo five hours earlier, during his enjoyable warmup act set under his stage name The Particle Kid.

Nelson tipped his cowboy hat to fellow outlaw country legend Waylon Jennings with "Good Hearted Woman," and served up some Hank Williams with a fine "Move It On Over." Pondering aloud if he wanted to lead with an A note, Nelson strummed lithely on "We Don't Run," his song about refusing to quit.

That perseverance maintains him as an inspiration and vital artist − one still very much worth seeing even on a dreary, rain-swept night.

Scott Tady is entertainment editor at The Times and easy to reach at stady@timesonline.com.

This article originally appeared on Beaver County Times: John Fogerty & Willie Nelson shined at Star Lake