Originally published by L.S. Media. June 14th 2011

It takes a man who obviously can hold his own in the company of Neil Young and Bruce Springsteen who can command an audience at the Philharmonic with the bare minimum of instruments and supporting musicians and yet still make that crowd feel as though they have only ever seen one truly amazing gig in their life.

Nils Lofgren is one such man that has the undoubted ability to make an audience sit still and carefully listen to what he has to say whilst all the time making them feel special and appreciated as fans.

Opening the evening by playing a harp, albeit supremely well, was a masterstroke as it made the audience take note of what was going on stage all the more vigilantly. Nils was joined on stage by the multi-talented Greg Varlotta who played, tap danced and thrilled an audience with his versatility and his compatibility with a man whose own playing career goes back several decades.

Amongst the opening tracks of the night were Too many Miles, Deadline and Keith don’t Go which had the crowd quietly salivating at the thought of what the top rated guitarist would play during the rest of the night.

One of the surprises of the night was too see both Nils and Greg at one time or another doing the most wonderful tap dancing on the sheet of wood provided which negated the need for a drum machine as they provided a more natural and more altogether interesting experience for the crowd.

Nils and Greg finished a powerful and stunning set with Bruce Springsteen’s Because the Night which had the audience gasping at the movement and authoritative way in which he commanded the song made famous by Patti Smith.

The encores were just as impressive as the pair finished a set of just under two and a half hours with the beautiful Dream Big and Like Rain.

Liverpool rock audiences have been spoiled just recently with the likes of Richard Marx, Ian Prowse and Roger Hodgson all appearing at the Philharmonic, now with Nils Lofgren coming back to Liverpool and performing an exciting set, it could be seen as the icing on the cake for a summer’s set of top rated musicians appearing there.

Ian D. Hall