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Jersey Roar

Springsteen fever was in the air as Bruce and the E-Street Band touched down for a two-night stand at Dublin’s RDS. Having hooked up with the man himself on the launch of his latest album, Stuart Clark was on hand to check out both live shows and shoot the breeze with Brucie right-hand man – and respected actor and musician in his own right – Steve Van Zandt. He brings us a frontline report.

Stuart Clark, 29 Aug 2012

The Bruce Springsteen & E Street Band invasion of Dublin commences on Monday July 16 with Steve Van Zandt clearing airport immigration at 5pm and then Usain Bolting it to Tower Records in the city-centre for a special live edition of his Underground Garage radio how.

Cheered on by 300 adoring fans who’ve managed to blag themselves the necessary wristbands, Steve starts – appropriately enough given Saturday’s Hyde Park shenanigans – with The Beatles’ ‘I Saw Her Standing There’. 

“Can you believe they pulled the plug on Paul McCartney?” he rues with a shake of his bandana-d head. “I thought Sirs, being down with the Queen and everything, were allowed to rip it up pretty much when and where they want. We were just thinking ‘what song next?’ when, pow, the mics were killed! That ain’t gonna happen in Ireland. Curfews are there to be broken!”

This time there are no unseemly interruptions, just some quality dad dancing from Mr. V Z who also has some Them – “the greatest garage band of all time” – The Who, The Nazz, The Beach Boys and The Raspberries in his record bag. Underlining the fact that the show has featured 500 bands in its decade-long history, there’s also time for ‘Bolloxology’, a charming little ditty by Dubliners-living-in-Stockholm Sir Reg and stay at home reprobates The Urges’ ‘Fire Burning’, which was released Stateside on Steve’s Wicked Cool label.

Fast forward 16 hours to D2’s Merrion Hotel, where the pavement is overflowing with fans wanting to press Bruce & the E Street Band flesh ahead of tonight’s RDS opener. Hot Press is here to grab some more quality one-on-one time with Steve who’s especially keen to talk about the Underground Garage reaching double digits; the other acts besides Sir Reg and The Urges that Wicked Cool are championing and the success of Lilyhammer, the Norwegian/American ‘dramedy’ which finds him playing a Mafiosi, who looks and talks suspiciously like Sil from The Sopranos. Hell, his character, Giovanni Hendriksen, even has the same bouffant wig! First though, what song options were being discussed when the Westminster City Council killjoys did their Hyde Park worst?



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