Last month,Nils Lofgrenwas watching the Grammy Awards when he came upon a familiar sight.
He sounded great, Lofgren says, but I wasnt ready for that.
Im glad to see the tradition carrying on.
Nils Lofgren and Benson Boone catch air: The E Street Band guitarist weighs in on the pop singer’s high-flying moves.Jorgen Angel/Redferns/Getty Images; Kevin Winter/Getty Images
I always thought you could marry athletics and rock.
For Lofgren, the backflip grew out of stage survival.
I couldnt figure out what can I do to compete with this thats authentic, he recalls.
I wasnt feeling like I could jump around stage yet.
Pulling one off with a guitar could be the solution to his stage concerns.
With the help of his coach and training belts, Lofgren practiced before the show.
You have to violently throw your arms up over your head and back, he says.
Three-thousand drunk college kids, he says.
They were booing us, yelling for J. Geils, yelling We hate you!
Bottles were crashing around the drum kit.
For the last song, Lofgren went for the backflip, but without his guitar.
Now they were deliriously happy.
I thought, Wow, welcome to show business.
It was a little scary.
But I was very young and thought, Hey, man, just focus.
He said, Nils, that flip thing I dont know if we should use it.
What do you think?
I said, Well, youre the bandleader thats your call.
I said, Well, 100 times Ill fall once, but I wont get hurt.
Ill tip back over on my ass and backslide across the stage.
And he said, Okay, lets put it in the show.
Im looking at him and thinking, Bruce.
Were not in the Cirque du fucking Soleil.
What are you thinking?
Im going to get it right.
I go do it a third time, and I belly-flop.
I graze the top of my head.
I almost break my neck, and I literally land face down on my guitar on the stage.
At that point I hear Bruce go, Fuck it!
and I stumbled up in shame and embarrassment.
But I was grateful I didnt break my neck.
It served me well for a long time, he says.
Its a classic round-off back-flip that every young gymnast, boy or girl, does, he says approvingly.
His side flips off the piano are also very cool.
Its a different version of a barani, where you go forward, do a half-twist and land backwards.
Hes obviously had gymnastic training.
I dont know if the guy has a drink once in a while.
But be careful not to have too many drinks before you do gymnastics, Lofgren says.
Throughout history, a lot of musicians will not exercise.
Theyre famous for it.
