What happened to Steven Van Zandt? 74-year-old guitarist to miss shows with Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band due to health issues 

Steven Van Zandt, the guitarist of Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, was forced to sit out a couple of shows amid the band's European tour on account of appendicitis. The 74-year-old guitarist will reportedly skip the shows in Spain on June 24 and in Germany on June 27.

However, he promised fans that he would try to recover and return to the stage for one of the two shows in Milan, scheduled for June 30 and July 3, which will bring the European tour to a close.

On June 23, Van Zandt took to X to update his fans about the surgery. The guitarist, also known as Little Steven or Miami Steve, revealed that he experienced a "sharp pain" in his stomach, which led him to believe he had food poisoning.

However, the pain turned out to be associated with appendicitis, and he was rushed into emergency surgery at a hospital in San Sebastian, Spain. Steven Van Zandt confirmed that the surgery was a "complete success," writing:

"Got a sharp pain in my stomach, thought it was food poisoning, turned out to be appendicitis. Got lucky with an exceptional hospital in San Sebastian. Operation was a complete success and I'm hoping to get back on stage for at least one of the shows in Milan. Thank you all for all the good vibes. See you soon."

As of the time of this article, it is unclear who will fill in for Steven Van Zandt during the following two shows.

---

Steven Van Zandt left Bruce Springsteen's band in 1984

According to his biography on Bruce Springsteen's website, Steven Van Zandt joined Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band in 1975. However, during the recording of Springsteen's now-classic album Born in the USA in 1984, he left the band to pursue his solo career.

He dabbled in music and acting simultaneously, releasing Sun City as part of the Artists United Against Apartheid project. He was also cast as Silvio Dante in The Sopranos in 1999 and held his role till the show ended in 2007.

In his 2021 book, Unrequited Infatuations: A Memoir, Steven Van Zandt elaborated on why he decided to quit the band, stating that the decision stemmed from his numerous disagreements with Springsteen. He said:

“It started to feel like Bruce had stopped listening. He had always been the most single-minded individual, with a natural extreme monogamy of focus in all things — in relationships, in songwriting, in guitar playing, in friends. Was that impulse now going to apply to his advisers? I felt I'd earned an official position in the decision-making process. He disagreed. So I quit."

Steven Van Zandt rejoined the band during their reunions in 1995 and 1999 and has remained as the guitarist since 1999. In a 2024 interview with The Guardian, the guitarist opened up about the "guilt" he carried after he quit the band in 1985.

However, Steven Van Zandt added that he was able to pursue several projects due to his exit from the band, saying he never would have "realized [his] potential" if he remained under Springsteen's shadow.

“I don’t know what I would have done. I would have perhaps produced a few things and who knows where I would have went? But if I’d continued to dedicate my life to Bruce Springsteen’s vision I would never have realised my potential. I still haven’t, obviously, but I got a few things done and I think they wouldn’t have gotten done if I’d stayed.”

---

In addition to being the guitarist of the E Street Band, Steven Van Zandt also helmed his band, Disciples of Soul. He was also a part of the cast of Lilyhammer, credited as one of Netflix's first original series.

Edited by Maithreyi S