Nils Lofgren Band Live

Inspired by writing with the great Lou Reed on his last studio album, Nils knew it was time. Audience and band alike sharing their souls, gifts, spirit and energy on the tour made for a fresh, new live sound for Nils. The result is an earthy, rocking album that breathes life into a world temporarily void of the excitement, energy, tenderness and spontaneity of live music during COVID-19.

Nils Lofgren Band Live

Along with his work as a solo artist, Lofgren has marked more than 25 years as a member of Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band as well as a former member of Crazy Horse and Grin. Lofgren joined Neil Young's band in 1968 at age 17, playing piano on the album After the Gold Rush. Lofgren would maintain a close musical relationship with Young, appearing on his Tonight's the Night album and tour among others. He was also briefly a member of Crazy Horse, appearing on their 1971 LP and contributing songs to their catalogue. From '71 to '74 Lofgren was active in Grin, the band he founded in '69. Solo albums and tours followed every year through the 1970s as Lofgren established himself as a top guitarist and live performer earning the respect and acclaim of his peers. Bruce Springsteen made the call in 1984 and Lofgren joined the E-Street Band for the Born in the USA tour. Lofgren was an instant hit with Springsteens fans through his playing and vibrant on stage persona. Lofgren remains a stalwart of the E-Street Band to the present day.

At one point, after we made the Crazy Horse record, Danny went back to Maryland. He and I were talking about joining my band Grin as another member. He lived with us for a while. I remember we were at Georgetown University, waiting to see Roy Buchanan. We left Danny; he didn't want to come into town. He was getting pretty sick back then.

In the midst of recording Young's 2019 album Colorado and Springsteen's 2020 album Letter To You, Lofgren also put together his own band for his first electric tour in what he estimates was 16 or 17 years. That led to the double live-CD Weathered.

Nils Lofgren: (Laughs) Yeah, I've spent hundreds of nights in Dan Tana's, been in and out of the Troubadour. My band Grin went out to L.A. in '68 or '69, so got a long history in L.A., lived there for 25 years or so.

Lofgren: Yeah, I just got a new double live-CD out last month called Weathered. I took a band out on the road last year for the first time in 16, 17 years. I've been doing acoustic shows. And it was a joy to do an electric band and just be on the bus with the band and crew, travel America and play these little clubs, 300, 400 people just kind of surrounding you. It really helps you get down in it right away. So we got that out recently to share. You can get it at nilslofgren.com and any of the normal places. But hey, man, 52 years on the road last month. It's kind of a startling number, but grateful as hell to be around and talking to you and have a great new album with E Street that's very exciting.

Lofgren: I'm very proud. Especially since we can't go out and play live, I thought the next best thing would be to share my first electric tour in about 16 years that I did with a band of my own last year. It came out great. I had some dear friends, my brother Tommy (vocals); Andy Newmark on drums: Kevin McCormick on bass and, of course, the great Cindy Mizelle, who has been touring with E Street for many years. She was on the Seeger Sessions tour and Amy and I befriended Cindy, just a great, great person. We've spent hundreds of shows singing together. Cindy sang all over my last studio record, Blue With Lou, which featured six songs I wrote with Lou Reed, rest his soul. Had a real special gang with my brother Tommy there too, going all the way back to Grin.

Neil Young: Road Rock, Vol. 1 [Reprise, 2000]Only one of the six 1969-1978 oldies that dominate this contract-conscious holding action is on any previous live album--"Tonight's the Night," which admittedly had more get-up-and-go on Weld in 1990. The two new titles are a girl-group hoot too good for Silver and Gold and a bitter, climactic, Chrissie Hynde-enhanced "All Along the Watchtower." The Keith-Oldham-Dunn-Keltner band rocks different than Crazy Horse. Definitely not dead yet. B+

Way Down in the Rust Bucket [Reprise, 2021]To the best of my digitally enhanced recollection, this is the first electric live Young we've had since the dull 2016 Promise of the Real placeholder, and hey hey, it's "with" his signature band Crazy Horse (though 1974's Time Fades Away with the Stray Gators remains the live Neil to top: "Don't Be Denied," undeniable). The hook-concept-gimmick-rationale is that it's but an unfettered bar gig cut shortly after a revved-up Young celebrated his escape from the well-tailored embrace of David Geffen by returning to Reprise with the Pazz & Jop-topping 1990 Ragged Glory. As a result, however, it reprises more than half of Ragged Glory, and while Young's solo on the "Country Home" opener does actually improve on the studio version, it's still too bad the guys weren't feeling loose enough to pull more classics out of the boss's ratty old canvas songbag. Turns out, for instance, that "Bite the Bullet," the pick hit on 1977's American Stars 'n Bars, is more convincing sans Linda Ronstadt and Nicolette Larson as the backup Bullets. And by the way, did you know that a clitoral vibrator is called a bullet? I sure didn't until Neil's lip-smacking live "I love to make her scream/When I bite the bullet" inspired some research. Be careful with your teeth there, fella. A- 041b061a72