Little Steven & the Disciples of Soul at the PlayStation Theater

Steve Van Zandt

Steven Lento was born in Winthrop, Massachusetts, and as a youth lived in nearby Watertown. His mother remarried, the seven-year-old boy became Steven Van Zandt, and the family relocated to Middletown Township, New Jersey. In his teenage years, he played guitar locally in the Whirlwinds, the Mates and the Shadows. Van Zandt grew up in the Jersey Shore music scene, and performed with Bruce Springsteen in Steel Mill in 1969-1970 and the Bruce Springsteen Band in 1971. Van Zandt also co-founded and played in Southside Johnny & the Asbury Jukes in 1974. Van Zandt then played in Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band from 1975 to 1984, returning briefly in 1995 and permanently since 1999. In 1981, Van Zandt began fronting an on-and-off group he calls Little Steven & the Disciples of Soul. Turning to acting, Van Zandt took one of the core roles in The Sopranos from 1999 to 2007 and in Lilyhammer from 2011 to 2015. Since 2002, Van Zandt has hosted Little Steven's Underground Garage, a weekly syndicated radio show; he is also the program director for two radio channels for the SiriusXM Satellite Radio network. His most recent solo album, SoulFire Live!, was released on April 27, 2018.

The Little Steven & the Disciples of Soul concert tonight at the PlayStation Theater raised funds and awareness for the TeachRock curriculum, and teachers were offered free tickets to the concert if they attended a workshop on the project prior to the concert. For about two and a half hours, Van Zandt and his 14 accompanists provided a big and full blast, balancing heartland rock, 1960s style soul and Phil Spector-influenced ballads. The concert began with a lively cover of Arthur Conley's 1967 hit "Sweet Soul Music" and segued into an energetic set of songs Van Zandt recorded or wrote for other artists, along with quite a few other covers. Sporadically throughout the evening, Van Zandt ripped into electrifying solos, but he did not allow them to dominate the performance; he invited many of his musicians break into jams as well. The five horn players and three backup vocalists helped make the choruses the summits of his songs, and all the movement on stage made the show visually stimulating. Overall, Van Zandt and his allies performed an upbeat and entertaining show, fit for a rock and roll party.

Visit Little Steven & the Disciples of Soul at www.littlesteven.com.

Setlist:

1. Sweet Soul Music (Arthur Conley cover)
2. Soulfire (The Breakers cover)
3. I'm Coming Back (Southside Johnny & the Asbury Jukes cover)
4. The Blues Is My Business (Etta James cover)
5. Love on the Wrong Side of Town (Southside Johnny & the Asbury Jukes cover)
6. Until the Good Is Gone
7. Angel Eyes
8. Some Things Just Don't Change (Southside Johnny & the Asbury Jukes cover)
9. St. Valentines Day
10. Standing in the Line of Fire (Gary “U.S.” Bonds cover)
11. I Saw the Light (Little Steven cover)
12. Salvation (Little Steven cover)
13. The City Weeps Tonight (Little Steven cover)
14. Down and Out in New York City (James Brown cover)
15. Princess of Little Italy
16. Solidarity (Little Steven cover)
17. Groovin' Is Easy (The Electric Flag cover)
18. Ride the Night Away (Jimmy Barnes cover)
19. Bitter Fruit (Little Steven cover)
20. Forever

Encore:

1. I Don't Want to Go Home (Southside Johnny & the Asbury Jukes cover)
2. Out of the Darkness (Little Steven cover)