Bruce Springsteen Plays Stripped Back Set After Two E Street Band Members Test Positive For COVID
Bruce Springsteen was forced to perform without three of his E Street bandmates over the weekend after they had to bow out of the group’s Dallas, Texas show on Friday.
According to The Boss, both guitarist Steven Van Zandt and violinist/singer Soozie Tyrel tested positive for COVID-19 ahead of their tour stop at the American Airlines Center, while Springsteen’s wife singer/guitarist Patti Scialfa was also absent from the stage for undisclosed reasons.
“We got a few members missing tonight – Stevie Van Zandt – COVID, Soozie Tyrell – COVID, Patti Scialfa… But goddammit, we’re gonna give Dallas the best show they’ve ever seen,” the rocker told the crowd at the top of the show before promptly jumping into 1980’s “Out in the Street.”
For his part, Van Zandt took to Twitter to assure fans he was already on the mend, tweeting, “Thank you all for your best wishes and positive vibes. I’ve got a very mild case and hope to be back for Houston or Austin at the latest.” He soon followed his tweet up with another informing his followers he had received both the COVID-19 vaccine and a booster. “That’s why it’s a mild case. No real danger or damage,” he wrote.
Billboard has reached out to Springsteen and the E Street Band’s rep for comment on whether the next planned tour stop, on Tuesday (Feb. 14) in Houston, Texas, will feature the full band. Meanwhile, the band is continuing their international tour with a planned stop in Austin on Thursday (Feb. 16), before heading to Kansas City, Tulsa, Portland, Seattle, Denver and more. The U.S. leg of the trek will conclude on April 14 with a hometown show in Newark, New Jersey before the band jets off to Europe.
Check out fan-captured video of Springsteen explaining his bandmates’ absence as well as Van Zandt’s string of tweets below.
Glenn Rowley
Billboard
