Nils is one of my all time favourite musicians. He has released so many great albums and written some amazing songs
he has just performed a couple of shows in London backed by Greg Verlotta on keyboards, trumpet, board, vocals and guitar, demonstrated why he is so much more than “the guy who plays with Bruce Springsteen”.
Nils Lofgren has been in Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band for three decades, is renowned for his work with Neil Young and Ringo Starr, and was inducted into the US’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame last year. On this performance it easy to see why, the audience is left wondering what will happen next. First we are taken in one direction, then next down a completely different road which leads directly to music heaven.
Not for Lofgren the easy route either. New Holes in Old Shoes is an homage to the demons he has faced in past and which are now, by his own confession, temporarily laid to rest thanks to Hagen Daas ice cream and the love of his wife, Amy. This song is just ridiculously good, and the power he generates through his acoustic guitar is something to behold.
It isn’t just Lofgren either that makes this show more than worthwhile. Greg Verlotta is clearly a sensational musician in his own right and his work behind the keys, on the trumpet and backing guitar to the maestro is worth the price of a ticket alone. Yet it is his “impromptu” timpanic backing during “No Mercy” by tap-dancing, no less – that brings the audience to its feet.
This is the thing with a Nils Lofgren gig; the eclectic mix of styles, the myriad of unexpected events that turn songs into mini-concertos and the anecdotes he shares make the whole evening less of a gig, and more of a voyeuristic peek into what makes the man tick.
After two and a half time defying hours of bliss, but not before Nils Lofgren announces that plans are afoot for a return to these shores later in the year.
Songs in this video:Man in the moon, Girl in motion, Rusty gun (Grin)
The Fat Angel Sings 