Music
07 Aug 13

Steve Van Zandt on Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band's fabulous 2013

Steve Van Zandt found time whilst in Ireland to have what has become his annual chinwag with Hot Press.

In a wide-ranging interview Steve talked to us about the second season of Lilyhammer; Tom Morello depping for him in Australia; his Rascals stage show and further obsession with Paul Revere & The Raiders; his Underground Garage radio show which airs every Saturday at 10pm on 103.2 Dublin City FM; hurling and the fabulous 2013 Bruce and the E Street Band have been enjoying.
“I think we’ve surprised ourselves this year,” Steve reflects. “It’s one of the best tours ever. Artistically it’s been particularly satisfying in that we really did have to reinvent ourselves. I mean, you’re not going to replace Clarence Clemons. Losing Danny (Federici, Bruce keys man who died in 2008) was obviously a setback but losing Clarence up front like that threatened the future of the band. For all of us it was, ‘Now what? Do we continue? Do we call it something else?’ What we decided in the end was to try and summarise everything Bruce has been doing these past 35 years. Hang on, these past 40 years! I’ve just erased Greetings From Asbury Park, The Wild, The Innocent… and Born To Run from history. Jesus Christ, Bruce wouldn’t like that! Anyway, we worked to create a framework within which the folk stuff, the solo stuff and the E Street Band obviously could all be accommodated. It was orchestrated in a way that allows for any musical idea Bruce has to be explored in a moment’s notice.
“So we got ourselves a five-piece horn section, three singers and a percussionist who’s also a singer,” he continues. “The rock ‘n’ roll side of things is still totally credible, but we’ve the freedom and personnel to switch into James Brown soul revue mode if we want! We’ve filtered everything through the E Street Band prism and created something that I have to say feels very fresh and new for all of us.”
Steve was also generous in his praise for Jake Clemons.
“The fact that he’s Clarence’s nephew is a nice bit of icing on the cake,” Steve agrees. “At the same time, the two saxes come out of the section, they play the solos, they go back to the section. It’s different and very respectful to The Big Man.”
Steve’s expanded thoughts on the just completed tour can be found in our current issue, with his extracurricular activities discussed at length in an upcoming issue.