The Times Herald (Norristown, PA)
50 years and going strong
Nils Lofgren Returns to the Colonial for a magical night of music and stories
Celebrating 50 years as one of rock and roll’s hardest working and highly regarded guitarists, Nils Lofgren returns to the U.S. concert stage to share his musical legacy.
“I’m so looking forward to this run of shows in the Northeast,” says Lofgren, from his home in Scottsdale, Arizona. “It’s been a long time coming and I am thrilled to get back to the U.S. audiences to help commemorate 50 years on the road!”
“The live audiences have been my lifeblood and inspiration all these wonderful musical years,” adds Lofgren. “I’m grateful to all the fans who continue to share this journey with us.”
Lofgren will be joined on stage by long time friend, collaborator and, multi-instrumentalist Greg Varlotta. The duo will delve into Lofgren’s rich music history offering selections that were featured on his 2014 ten-disc box set “Face the Music” interspersed with stories from Lofgren’s storied career.
“We’ve got a lot of different elements in the show,” says Lofgren. “It’s kind of a retrospect of the best years of my fifty years of recording and being on the road. So, this will be my celebration of half a century in music. I select the best of my songs even going back to my years with Grin. We’ll take a request once in a while, if we can. We jump around between all the instruments. I do a little tap dancing. It’s either hilarious or somewhat musical. We add a lot of different textures and colors. It’s quite a colorful, and I’m hoping emotional show and a great musical night for everybody.” Nils Lofgren performs at the Colonial Theatre 227 Bridge Street, Phoenixville, PA 19460 Thursday Sept. 20, 2018 at 8 p.m. For tickets and further info call 610-917-1228 or visit www.thecolonialtheatre.com
Spending a significant part of his youth studying classical accordion, and ultimately jazz, it was a concert experience that Lofgren had as a young teenager that proved to be the catalyst for a career as a rock and roll musician.
“I saw the Who and the Jimi Hendrix Experience the same night in Washington, D.C.,” recalls Lofgren. “I walked out of those shows possessed with the idea, which I never had until that moment, of being a professional rock musician.”
On the heels of fronting his own band, Grin, which he started in the late ‘60s, Lofgren was in his late teens when he befriended rock legend Neil Young and record producer David Briggs. He spent the early ‘70s working alongside Young as a member of his band Crazy Horse. Lofgren toured with Young and Crazy Horse appearing on the classic albums “After the Gold Rush” and “Tonight’s the Night” among others.
While Grin never attained commercial success, Lofgren’s creative output with the band and his work with Young allowed him to hone his skills as a multitalented rock musician, recording artist, songwriter and instrumentalist. His efforts did not go unnoticed, ultimately catching the attention of Bruce Springsteen in 1984 who in turn, enlisted Lofgren as a member of the infamous E Street Band. Lofgren remains a fixture with the iconic band to this day.
Lofgren has gone on to perform on numerous Springsteen recordings as well as the concert tours: Born in the U.S.A., Tunnel of Love, Human Rights Now!, Reunion, The Rising, Vote for Change, Magic, Working on a Dream, Wrecking Ball, High Hopes and The River.
Lofgren has gone on to work with a variety of artists including, Ringo Starr, Lou Gramm (Foreigner), Lou Reed and Patti Scialfa.
In recent years Lofgren has been the recipient of the “Outstanding Contribution Award” at the Classic Rock Awards in London, induction into the Arizona Music & Entertainment Hall of Fame (2017) and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the E Street Band (2014). In May of this year Lofgren was reunited with Neil Young, performing on the Crazy Horse reunion concert tour.
Complementing his online guitar school instruction videos, Lofgren is now offering musicians and fans the opportunity to experience a free form spontaneous music jam via his website www.nilslofgren.com.
“It’s called Blind Date Jam,” says Lofgren. It’s an 80-minute video where musicians get together. They don’t have any rehearsal, they don’t know what they’re going to play, there are no chord charts, somebody throws out an idea and they jam for a couple of hours. It’s a concept of what happens when musicians don’t get a chance to work out a part and they’re just more reckless and emotional about playing and interacting.”
When asked about teaming up with Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, Lofgren is realistically optimistic.
“There’s no bigger fan of the band than me,” says Lofgren. “There are no plans to go back out with Bruce at this time. Obviously, we all hope and pray that there’s another chapter, but I need to focus on my own thing and move forward. If the day comes, God willing, and there’s another E Street chapter, I will be there with bells on.”
Reflecting on his 50-year run in the music business, Lofgren is filled with gratitude and excited to be putting the finishing touches on his next solo effort.
“Half a century is a startling number,” reflects Lofgren.” I am very grateful to have had a run like that. I’ve been one of the lucky ones even after a lot of ups and downs. I’m very grateful to get up in front of an audience and sing these days. I’m thrilled about these shows. It’s also tempering me with the bigger reality that it’s important to leave each day and honor each show and audience with the best I can do.”
“I’m working on a new album which I’m very excited about,” adds Lofgren. “It’s a great batch of new songs and I’m hoping to have it done by the end of the year and possibly out in the spring, and just keep playing.”