Before he was a part of Neil Young's Crazy Horse and one of the six-stringed crew members of the Good Ship Springsteen, Nils Lofgren had a great little rock 'n' roll band called Grin, which eventually morphed into his solo career. Grin was formed in 1969 and had enormous promise. Initially formed as a trio, Nils' brother Tom joined the band late in their tenure on rhythm guitar, giving Grin the harder edged sound that is on display in this show. They were a terrific rock band that focused on solid songs and great musicianship. Coupled with Lofgren's passionate lead vocals this led to consistently great reviews.
However, great reviews don't always transcend into great sales. None of Grin's four studio albums sold very well and after a run on Epic Records, the band moved over to A&M. Grin lasted another year or so before falling apart in 1975, when A&M offered Lofgren his own solo deal. He took the vibe and foundation that he built with Grin and used it to build a viable and critically acclaimed solo career that he maintains outside of his work with Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band.