Nils Lofgren at City Winery

In his youth, Nils Lofgren and his family left his native Chicago, Illinois, and relocated to Bethesda, Maryland. At age five, he learned to play classical accordion, which he studied seriously for the next 10 years. After studying classical music and jazz throughout his youth, Lofgren discovered a passion for rock music, and focused on the piano and the guitar. In 1968, Lofgren formed the band Grin with the former rhythm section in the Hangmen, and the trio played the Washington, D.C. music circuit. Grin relocated to Los Angeles, California, and a 19-year-old Lofgren joined Neil Young's band; Lofgren has been a recurring member of Young's Crazy Horse since 1970. Grin disbanded in 1974, and Lofgren launched a solo career, scoring a few radio hits in the mid-1970s. In 1984, he joined Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band for the massive Born in the U.S.A. Tour. Lofgren continued to perform in Springsteen's bands as recently as 2014, and also performed on two recent tours of Ringo Starr's All-Starr Band. Lofgren now resides in Arizona, and was inducted into the Arizona Music & Entertainment Hall of Fame in 2017. Lofgren released his 17th and most recent solo studio album, Blue with Lou, on April 26, 2019; the album features five previously unreleased songs that Lou Reed and Lofgren wrote together 40 years ago.

A 2008 hip replacement surgery meant that Lofgren would no longer be back-flipping on a trampoline while playing guitar as he used to do in the 1970s. At City Winery tonight, all the theatrics were reserved for his guitar playing. Perhaps best known for his 50 years as a side musician, this tour was his first opportunity in 17 years to play live with his own band (Nils' brother Tom Lofgren on guitar and keyboards, Kim McCormick on bass, Andy Newmark on drums, and Cindy Mizelle on backing vocals), and so he brought his best rocking self to the stage. Lofgren's understated, reedy voice sang the songs softly and tenderly, until he ripped into fluid, sparkling guitar solos. Several of his songs were eight-minutes long due to his extended guitar solos. The set included his biggest hit, "I Came to Dance," a gentler version of "Because the Night," which he and Mizelle often performed with Springsteen, and three of his Lou Reed collaborations, but it lacked other signature songs, "Back It Up" and "Keith Don't Go." Lofgren in recent years performed several solo acoustic tours, but the best way to appreciate his music is rocking with a band.

Setlist:

1. Walkin' Nerve
2. Daddy Dream
3. Give
4. Too Many Miles
5. Don't Let Your Guard Down
6. Too Blue to Play
7. Girl in Motion
8. Big Tears Fall (lead vocals by Cindy Mizelle)
9. Believe (Grin song)
10. Goin' Back (Carole King cover)
11. Across the Tracks
12. Like Rain (Grin song)
13. No Mercy
14. I Came to Dance

Encore:

1. Because the Night (Patti Smith Group cover)
2. Shine Silently