From there, Nils turns in some burning slide guitar work on "Cry Tough." By the time of "Gun And Run," he's playing behind his back and with his teeth Hendrix style. It should also be noted here that Lofgren's band for this show — including guitarist and veteran Neil Young sideman Larry Cragg — is nothing short of top-notch.
The 1976 Rockpalast show which opens the second disc finds Lofgren doing a much rawer, funkier take on "Cry Tough." For "Going Back," Lofgren gets behind the keyboard and proves to be every bit the house of fire that he is on the guitar (legend has it that Lofgren only learned the keys after Neil Young forced his hand for the sessions on After The Gold Rush).
Lofgren sounds absolutely amazing on the keys here, channeling the best barroom soul of a Faces-era Ian McLagan. Of the three complete concerts captured on this collection, the 1976 set is by far the rawest and most rocking, (and in the best Small Faces, Exile-era Stones sort of way).
For the 1979 performance which closes out the second disc, we find Nils Lofgren at the halfway point, performing before a much larger festival-sized crowd with a band whose look already seems to be anticipating the MTV eighties. Regardless, they still sound great.
Lofgren also rises here to the challenge of his impending rock stardom like a true champ — although of the three versions of "Keith, Don't Go" on this set, this is by far the most anemic — paling particularly in comparison to the rawer 1976 version.
Once again, he also turns in some amazing slide guitar work for the third performance on this set of "Cry Tough" — this time mugging like a true rock star before the TV cameras.
Oh yeah, and he also does a backflip off the trampoline too (during "Back It Up").
Can you say "awesome"?
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