Steven Van Zandt May Miss Some E Street Band Concerts to Film ‘Lilyhammer’
E Street Band guitarist Steven Van Zandt may be forced to miss some upcoming gigs to film a second season of his television show, Lilyhammer. “I made commitments before the tour even existed,” Van Zandt tells Rolling Stone. “We’re still trying to figure it all out, and we won’t know for another couple of months. Bruce and [manager] Jon Landau are very, very understanding about this and very supportive of my TV career. They’re gonna try and bend things around as much as they can. And then, if they can’t, if I gotta miss a few things, I’ll miss a few things. We’re gonna try not to, though.”
Lilyhammer – a Norwegian show about a mobster forced to move to Norway – premiered in Europe in January of 2012. (It became available in America via Netflix the following month.) “It’s been a huge, huge success in terms of a European production,” Van Zandt says. “It’s the first European production of any kind that’s ever been aired on American television intact, without being remade. I guess there’s been a few from England, like The Avengers or something, though – but it’s been amazing to see how big a deal this has become.”
The only problem for Van Zandt is that the series premiered months before Springsteen began a long tour with the E Street Band. When Van Zandt was on The Sopranos, the show reduced the onscreen presence of his character, Silvio Dante, during past E Street Band tours – but Lilyhammer stars Van Zandt, eliminating that option.
Van Zandt quit the E Street Band before their 1984 Born in the USA tour and was replaced by Nils Lofgren, who is still with the band and would likely have little trouble carrying the extra weight if need be.
The last Springsteen show formally on the books right now is on September 22nd in East Rutherford, New Jersey, but dates are already beginning to surface for another American leg this fall – and it may even keep going through 2013. “All that stuff is up in the air right now,” says Van Zandt. “Until that gets decided and gets announced we can’t really figure out what to do.” Does Van Zandt hope the tour will continue in 2013? “Personally, I hope so,” he says. “I’d like to see it go forever.”