Nothing is more devastating to a musician than to have musical instruments damaged. Even worse is having them stolen-never to be seen again. Musical instruments are highly personal items; generally selected for their specific sound, feel, and function. These aspects are dependable qualities which musicians depend upon for providing superior performances.
For Lofgren, the musician’s worst nightmare began when his personal guitars were stolen just outside of his hotel; and just as he was scheduled to set out on tour-a solo one, at that. The guitars were inside a van parked at the hotel. He’d selected those four guitars specifically for his tour. The news hit the media on March 31. Lofgren was on the second stop of the tour, in West Oak Cliff, Texas. He was accompanied by Amy, his wife. She posted the news on Twitter, listing Lofgren’s Starburst Fender Strat, the trio of Takamini, and the Lyon Healy Lever Harp. She also found security photos of the thief and posted that, too.
Lofgren posted on Twitter just 60 minutes later, telling fans that these first shows of the tour came after what was “a very difficult year”. He told fans that his show at the Kessler Theater would be the greatest regardless of the misfortune, though it would be different from what he had planned. Matt Howerton of WFAA posted a subsequent tweet letting fans known that replacement guitars had been secured for Lofgren’s use at the Friday night show scheduled in Dallas. Howerton called on “old family friends” to find the instruments Lofgren needed.
Lofgren did some handy detective work when he posted on Twitter about his four guitars being offered for sale by @offerup; asking for comments in return. The Dallas Police Department conducted a police sting, pulled out their guns and handcuffs, arrested a few people, and the beloved guitars were recovered and returned to Lofgren. Lofgren thanked the musicians who “lovingly” shared their own personal guitars with him. He also thanked his crew members who worked even harder so that the show could go on.
This tour was incredibly important to Lofgren. Lofgren had already survived hip-replacement surgery in 2015 due to bone against bone pain from a career filled with sports and rock and roll. Then, he’d had to cancel his 2016 November and December tour dates and put them off until the future, because his doctors told him he would need to have surgery. It came completely unexpectedly, and the news forced Lofgren and his wife Amy to announce the news to fans, thank them for their support, and ask for their well wishes while Lofgren faced his medical needs. During 2017, they both kept in touch with fans by creating Blind Date Jam. The video is 80 minutes of jam sessions recorded live with local musicians doing what they do best when they get together to create music. Lofgren also continued his performances with Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band in New Zealand and Australia. Lofgren put his solo tours on hold but continued composing and recording new material.
It’s great news that Lofgren is scheduled to perform next in Oakland, California at Yoshi’s. He’s planning to be there on April 12, 2018. His last scheduled concert there was originally scheduled for November 17, 2016. Fans are looking forward to Lofgren’s solo tour. The virtuoso rocker guitarist will be enjoying his solo gig, sharing his multi-instrumentalist talents with his fans. It couldn’t get better.
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