Nils Lofgren - The Robin Wolverhampton 27th October 2004
Setlist: N/K and I didn't manage to snaffle one!
The first time I saw Nils Lofgren live was way back in 1982, on the Neil Young Trans tour. I knew little about him at that time, but I was blown away by his fluid guitar style and the wonderfully musical sound he obtained. This was, naturally, thrown into sharp relief by Neil's raucous, distorted, industrial grunge sound. The two musicians were so diametrically opposed in every way; Neil is tall, lanky and awkward, Nils petite, compact and agile; Neil likes to torture a solo out of his guitar, Nils strokes and caresses; Neil’s voice requires a disciplined ear to appreciate it, Nils’ is sweet and tuneful. Yet they worked so well together, sounded so good and complemented each other beautifully. It opened my eyes to the towering talent that is Nils Lofgren. It is such a colossal endowment that you do find yourself wondering how he fits it all into such a small body!
Even more amazing is that he has managed to perfect the art of being the sidekick of choice for almost every serious musician on the planet, working with so many of the biggest names in the music business that, in listing them all, you end up with a veritable ‘Who’s Who’ of rock. Just off the top of my head I can think of: Bruce Springsteen, Ringo Starr, Neil Young, Bob Seeger, Branford Marsalis, Cab Calloway, Los Lobos and Lou Reed. Give me a couple of minutes and I’ll come up with a dozen more of the same calibre.
The first time I saw Nils Lofgren live was way back in 1982, on the Neil Young Trans tour. I knew little about him at that time, but I was blown away by his fluid guitar style and the wonderfully musical sound he obtained. This was, naturally, thrown into sharp relief by Neil's raucous, distorted, industrial grunge sound. The two musicians were so diametrically opposed in every way; Neil is tall, lanky and awkward, Nils petite, compact and agile; Neil likes to torture a solo out of his guitar, Nils strokes and caresses; Neil’s voice requires a disciplined ear to appreciate it, Nils’ is sweet and tuneful. Yet they worked so well together, sounded so good and complemented each other beautifully. It opened my eyes to the towering talent that is Nils Lofgren. It is such a colossal endowment that you do find yourself wondering how he fits it all into such a small body!
Even more amazing is that he has managed to perfect the art of being the sidekick of choice for almost every serious musician on the planet, working with so many of the biggest names in the music business that, in listing them all, you end up with a veritable ‘Who’s Who’ of rock. Just off the top of my head I can think of: Bruce Springsteen, Ringo Starr, Neil Young, Bob Seeger, Branford Marsalis, Cab Calloway, Los Lobos and Lou Reed. Give me a couple of minutes and I’ll come up with a dozen more of the same calibre.
Young discovered Lofgren as a teenager back in 1967. Nils was playing with his brother Tom, in a band called Grin. The cheeky youngster, took along his guitar to a Neil Young gig, sneaked backstage and ended up playing some of his songs for his hero. The Canadian was impressed and took Lofgren under his wing, bringing him in to sing, play guitar and piano on the After the Goldrush album. This collaboration has endured through the years too, with Lofgren becoming one of the original members of Young’s backing band, Crazy Horse, playing on their legendary first album. He also played on Young's Tonight's the Night album, touring the world in the process, the first of several the pair would undertake, including the Trans tour of ‘82/’83. Then, in 1984, Bruce Springsteen approached him, enticing him into the E Street Band, for the Born in the USA world tour. As with Neil Young, this was only the first of several outings with The Boss. In 1992, Lofgren teamed up with Ringo Starr’s all-star band for a legend-stuffed outing around the world.
In between these collaborations, Lofgren has also maintained a healthy solo career, releasing some incredible albums and touring regularly with both electric and acoustic performances a-plenty. The list of self-penned classics is a long one, which goes back more than three decades. To name but a few, there is Shine on Silently, Cry Tough, Keith Don’t Go, Like Rain, Putting Out Fires and Black Books; the latter bringing Lofgren back into the spotlight after it featured prominently in an episode of The Sopranos in 2002.
In between these collaborations, Lofgren has also maintained a healthy solo career, releasing some incredible albums and touring regularly with both electric and acoustic performances a-plenty. The list of self-penned classics is a long one, which goes back more than three decades. To name but a few, there is Shine on Silently, Cry Tough, Keith Don’t Go, Like Rain, Putting Out Fires and Black Books; the latter bringing Lofgren back into the spotlight after it featured prominently in an episode of The Sopranos in 2002.
Over the years, Lofgren has always been strongly supported in Europe and, as a result, has toured here on a frequent basis. I caught his acoustic tour in 1998 and yet again this year. At Bilston, the show was an early starter and it was packed to the ceiling. If it wasn’t a sell-out, then it must have been as close as you can get and still slide a cigarette paper in there. The early start is common at Lofgren shows, for two very good reasons. Firstly, Lofgren, ably assisted by Buck Brown, played a hell of a long set and, secondly, he likes to meet his fans after the show. He tsay behind for ages to sign CDs, records, ticket stubs and anything else that may be presented for his attention. In both these respects, Bilston was no exception.
Whilst I cannot recall the setlist exactly (or even approximately, come to think of it) I do know it was well over two hours and included nearly all of his solo classics, including the aforementioned tracks, as well as storming renditions of Because the Night and First Time Ever I Saw Your Face, neither of which I had expected, but both of which almost brought the house down. He even played a couple of old Grin songs, for the hard-core fans in the audience. Nils just likes to please, it’s as simple as that.
Afterwards, after an incredibly short break, he makes his way out front to a table, sits, signs and chats with the sizeable crowd of admirers that gathers. What’s more, he does this at virtually every gig. This guy is so nice, it is difficult to believe that he is one of the most supremely talented guitar players around. If you like his music, but have never seen him live, you should do yourself a favour and get along to one of his gigs. You just cannot find anything, whatsoever, to fault about the evening’s entertainment and you come away feeling all warm and fuzzy. Now, isn’t that, alone, worth the price of admission at the beginning of the 21 st Century? In my Black Book, it is.
Mark L. Potts
The God of Thunder
29th October 2004
Whilst I cannot recall the setlist exactly (or even approximately, come to think of it) I do know it was well over two hours and included nearly all of his solo classics, including the aforementioned tracks, as well as storming renditions of Because the Night and First Time Ever I Saw Your Face, neither of which I had expected, but both of which almost brought the house down. He even played a couple of old Grin songs, for the hard-core fans in the audience. Nils just likes to please, it’s as simple as that.
Afterwards, after an incredibly short break, he makes his way out front to a table, sits, signs and chats with the sizeable crowd of admirers that gathers. What’s more, he does this at virtually every gig. This guy is so nice, it is difficult to believe that he is one of the most supremely talented guitar players around. If you like his music, but have never seen him live, you should do yourself a favour and get along to one of his gigs. You just cannot find anything, whatsoever, to fault about the evening’s entertainment and you come away feeling all warm and fuzzy. Now, isn’t that, alone, worth the price of admission at the beginning of the 21 st Century? In my Black Book, it is.
Mark L. Potts
The God of Thunder
29th October 2004
About the photos...
Ah, they're mostly shite...
Apologies for that.
This was the first gig with my new camera, a Fuji S7000, and I didn't have the instruction booklet, so I had absolutely no idea what the hell I was doing with the bloody thing. You see, my little darling firstborn child brought the camera back from America for me, but neglected to pack the instruction book in her bag. No, the little darling put it in a box, which she sent surface mail! Ah, kids. Love 'em, but I couldn't eat a whole one.
Anyhoo, I was trying to figure what the camera could do as I went along. They are all shot at 6MP, ISO 400, without the flash and I'm amazed that I got any that are worth looking at. The other thing was, that it was so packed I couldn't find a decent spot and just didn't feel like braving a hot, sweaty crush with my new baby!
One or two didn't come out too badly though...
Apologies for that.
This was the first gig with my new camera, a Fuji S7000, and I didn't have the instruction booklet, so I had absolutely no idea what the hell I was doing with the bloody thing. You see, my little darling firstborn child brought the camera back from America for me, but neglected to pack the instruction book in her bag. No, the little darling put it in a box, which she sent surface mail! Ah, kids. Love 'em, but I couldn't eat a whole one.
Anyhoo, I was trying to figure what the camera could do as I went along. They are all shot at 6MP, ISO 400, without the flash and I'm amazed that I got any that are worth looking at. The other thing was, that it was so packed I couldn't find a decent spot and just didn't feel like braving a hot, sweaty crush with my new baby!
One or two didn't come out too badly though...