“Welcome to our teacher appreciation tour.” began Little Steven van Zandt, right hand man of Bruce Springsteen, Silvio Dante on The Sopranos, and frontman of The Disciples Of Soul. “I’m making it up to all the teachers for all the hell I gave ’em in high school.”
Even if that were the case, I would have forgiven him from the second he walked out onstage at Clearwater’s Capitol Theatre Saturday night.
The prime point to this tour is to salute elementary, middle, and high school teachers across the world, and to promote the TeachRock foundation. TeachRock was a big help in giving teachers in the area a killer deal, too – – Come to a two hour seminar about music education, and you get a free ticket to the show that night. Most teachers, and their guests, were closer to the stage than I was, and I was closer than I had ever been at a proper concert before. (row 11) As folks started walking into the venue, music played on Van Zandt’s SiriusXM show, Little Steven’s Underground Garage blared through the speakers, and at 8:16, about thirteen musicians and three dancers made their way to the stage, followed by their fearless leader. 748 people were ready for a night of classic soul and blues, starting way back in 1967 with a Jersey-styled rendition of Arthur Conley’s Sweet Soul Music. “Do ya like good music?!” he called out. All of us gave a roar of approval back at him.
Stevie has a relatively new solo album out, his first in eighteen years. Every song off of Soulfire, which released last May, was played throughout the show, while mixed in with his earlier songs as well. New songs included a ten minute rendition of the James Brown penned Down And Out In New York City, which was half solos from the woodwind and brass section of the band. Also off the album were original tunes, such as the Civil Rights inspired The City Weeps Tonight.
Yes, most of these songs were covers, but there were quite a few written by Stevie. Angel Eyes, off of 1982’s Men Without Women was not transposed at all, and the only change was a long guitar solo from the man, like many of the songs had. Also played was a Southside Johnny song written, and recorded with Bruce Springsteen, Until The Good Is Gone. That song also appeared on Men Without Women.
Speaking of Springsteen, you’re probably wondering, “Did he play any songs from E-Street?” No, he didn’t.
Understandably, a good chunk of the crowd (including myself, for the most part.) were in attendance solely to honor his incredible career as the right hand man of one of rock’s most legendary musicians and songwriters. But whenever Little Steven tours by himself, you’re almost always gonna hear soul and blues music. He recalled parts of his life that involved Bruce, and played songs that they recorded together on Disciples albums, but nothing from Bruce’s personal career, with and without E-Street.
The Disciples played for nearly two and a half hours, half of an E-Street show. But that’s because this was very different from one. The setlist didn’t totally transform from the previous show in Orlando the night before, and there was only a lick of politics, (“We are in a dark time, but don’t worry, it’s only temporary.”) But like his partner, he knew how, and when, to communicate with his fans. “We can leave our differences outside and walk the sacred grounds of music tonight.” Stevie proclaimed in the middle of a song during a brief lecture.
Well, he sure wasn’t wrong.
Josh Bradley Live 