Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band just finished wowing stadiums all over Europe and will soon be doing the same in the U.S. But even though they play to thousands of fans when they hit the stage, guitarist Stevie Van Zandt says their approach to playing live is much smaller.
“We come from the bars and clubs. We were a dance band, and I think that’s a critical factor,” he tells The Telegraph. “The idea was to get people hot and bothered and wanting to drink more. And that requires a bit of extra energy, all right? To pull people out of their chairs and make them dance is different than playing a concert where everybody’s sitting down.”
He adds, “We just ignore the size of the venue and treat it like a club.”
Springsteen and the band have dates confirmed through 2025. But with Bruce turning 75 in September, people are always wondering if this will be the last tour. And it seems Van Zandt doesn’t really know the answer.
“You never know,” says Van Zandt. “I mean, we treat every show like it could be the last show, and we’ve been doing that for 50 years.”
“But the audience is still there, and we can see them getting younger every year. I don’t see the end anywhere in sight, to be honest,” he adds. “I love that The Stones are still out there. Because as long as they’re out there, man, we’re still the new kids on the block, right? So I’m good with that.”
Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band launch the next U.S. leg of their tour on Aug. 15. A complete list of dates can be found at brucespringsteen.net.
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