The more things change, the more they stay the same.

Nick Lowe's set list Monday evening at the Old Towne School of Folk Music was similar to the set he played when I saw him five years ago at Park West. I checked setlist.fm and confirmed that more than half the songs I heard this week, he also played at Park West. Los Straitjackets, the surfer-guitar-inspired quartet sporting Mexican wrestling masks, still backs him up in concert. And, as in the 2001 show, Nick Lowe left the stage for a few minutes, allowing LSJ to perform a couple of songs without him.

But, here is the thing. It is still Nick Lowe. And everything Nick Lowe does is amazing. He is among the most prolific songwriters in pop music history, and his voice still sounds strong and beautiful in his seventh decade.

He showed that he can still write great music by playing a handful of songs from the "Indoor Safari," the 2024 album he recorded with Los Straitjackets. But the bulk of the concert consisted of old songs from his extensive catalog.

I first discovered Nick Lowe when I was a teenager in the 1970s. I first saw him perform live two decades ago at a small club in Michigan. I love the fact that he continues to play the music I grew up with, and that he does so with energy and enthusiasm.