Steven Van Zandt has Little Steven & The Disciples of Soul in Australia for the first time and he is giving fans something old, something new, something borrowed and something blues.
The old were songs from Southside Johnny and the Asbury Dukes, a band he co-founded 1975 while almost simultaneously joining the E Street Band. The Asbury Dukes became like a musical clearing hour for New Jersey artists. They were a platform for apprenticeship for bands like Springsteen’s who could always rely on sourcing a new member from that band.
The new were very new. ‘Love Again’ and Superfly Terraplane’ are from the yet-to-be released ‘Summer of Sorcery’ album.
Covers of songs by Arthur Conley, James Brown and Etta James signed off the “borrowed” component while the band itself and the occasion sax or flute or trumpet solo blended the blues through-out the show.
This is a big band. I counted 16 including Lowell Levinger, onetime member of 60s band The Youngbloods (Get Together, #No 5 AU., 1969). Levinger join the Disciples of Soul in 2017.
For the Australian shows ‘Sun City’, a Top 5 hit for Steven in Australia in 1986, has returned to the setlist. Prior to this Australian tour Steven last played ‘Sun City’ at the Nelson Mandela Tribute of 1990.
Sun City returns to Little Stevens set for the first time since 1990 pic.twitter.com/bU5svPcFln
— Noise11.com (@Noise11Tweets) April 24, 2019
‘Ride The Night Away’ was other song that stood out to every Australian in the audience. Steven wrote it for Jimmy Barnes. Jimmy had a hit with it from his 1985 ‘For The Working Class Man’ album. Tonight we were treated to the original version.
Every Australian knows this one. Steven Van Zandt wrote it @frontiertouring pic.twitter.com/66stbNKzNT
— Noise11.com (@Noise11Tweets) April 24, 2019
Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul setlist, 23 April 2019
Sweet Soul Music (Arthur Conley cover)
Soulfire (from Soulfire, 2017)
Lyin’ in a Bed of Fire (from Men Without Women, 1982)
The Blues Is My Business (Etta James cover)
Love on the Wrong Side of Town (from Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes, Having A Party, 1979)
Until the Good Is Gone (from Men Without Women, 1982)
Angel Eyes (from Men Without Women, 1982)
Under the Gun (from Men Without Women, 1982)
Some Things Just Don’t Change (from Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes, This Time Its For Real, 1977)
I Saw the Light (from Soulfire, 2017)
Salvation (from Born Again Savage, 1999)
Down and Out in New York City (James Brown cover)
Princess of Little Italy (from Men Without Women, 1982)
Love Again (from Summer of Sorcery, 2019)
Superfly Terraplane (from Summer of Sorcery, 2019)
I Don’t Want to Go Home (from Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes, I Don’t Wanna Go Home, 1976)
Bitter Fruit (from Soulfire Live, 2018)
Forever (from Men Without Women, 1982)
Encore:
Ride the Night Away (written for Jimmy Barnes, 1985)
Sun City (from Artists United Against Apartheid, Sun City, 1985)
Out of the Darkness (from Voice of America, 1985)
Little Steven & the Disciples of Soul will play one more Australian show at the Enmore in Sydney Thursday, 25 April, 2019.
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