Van Zandt: Springsteen's band the best we've ever beenFew contemporaries of Bruce Springsteen and The E. Street Band are still performing and producing on the same level as the New Jersey legends. Some from that era even seem to be making the transition from classic rock to oldies acts, swapping out members with regularity and sticking to the tried and true hits that made them famous.
But Springsteen, who's bringing his band to Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines Monday night, has never been one to rest on his accomplishments. In the past decade and a half he has won an Oscar and a Golden Globe for songs in the films "The Wrestler" and "Philadelphia." He's recorded albums of his own folk songs, along with covering folk pioneer Pete Seeger. Earlier this year he released his 16th studio album, "Working on a Dream," to a No. 1 debut and rave reviews.
"We refuse to be a nostalgia act," guitarist Steven Van Zandt said during a conference interview before a show in South Carolina this week. "Bruce never stopped writing great songs. I looked at a set list the other day and two-thirds of the songs were from the last 10 years. It's nice not to have to depend on the early hits. That helps keep it fresh and new."
In Van Zandt's view, the E. Street Band has more in common with indie and underground rock than the group's mainstream contemporaries. The band had success in the 1970s, but it was really one album, 1984's "Born in the USA," that Van Zandt feels made the group mainstream.
"We were mainstream for a minute, and the mainstream came to us," Van Zandt said. "We accidentally got popular. I think there's a certain misfit, underground vibe to a lot of the stuff we do. Bruce's lyrics present a very hardcore reality. He discusses a lot of unpleasant topics that people avoid in pop music."
The band has had a few lineup changes in recent years. Organist Danny Federici left the band in 2007 to focus on treatment for melanoma and passed away last year. Charles Giordano took over his part. Drummer Max Weinberg has had to miss some band dates for the first time in 35 years due to his job as band leader for "The Tonight Show." Weinberg's 19-year-old son, Jay, has been filling in for his father on those dates.
"The E. Street Band is a well-oiled machine, but on the inside it's quite a change," keyboardist Roy Bittan said. "We've all played together for 35 years. Anyone from the core band is basically irreplaceable. You can sub someone in and hope that person takes what the original person did and makes it his own. Charlie and Jay have done a remarkable job."
The tour ends in November, and the members say there are no set plans beyond that. But that's the way the E. Street Band has always been. They play every tour like it's their last because, until the Boss calls to let them know they're going out again, it is.
"We're going to take a little break, so if there's anyone wanting to see us, now is the time," Van Zandt said. "We may not be as pretty, but this is the best we've ever been."
Quelle:
http://www.desmoinesregister.com/articl ... 4/1046/ENT 
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...glaub irgendwie nicht, dass es die letzte E Street Tour war...vielleicht in dem Ausmaß...aber wie halt Stevie gut gesagt hat: "But don’t wait around; if you’re waiting to come see us, come now. This is a good time to see us."
Aber auch ein Album und Konzert a la "Ghost of Toam Joad" oder "D&D" wäre mal wieder super.
Er hat einfach ein tolles feeling: für Musik, für seine Mannschaft und mit seinem Management.
