Steven Van Zandt just had emergency surgery, but true to his lyrics, he doesn’t want to go home.
No, Little Steven is hanging in there, even after sharp stomach pains made him seek medical care while on tour with Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band in Europe.
Van Zandt, 74, assured fans he’s doing fine but said he will have to miss a few shows.
“Got a sharp pain in my stomach, thought it was food poisoning, turned out to be appendicitis,” he said in an Instagram post Monday. “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.”
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Springsteen’s Land of Hope and Dreams Tour continues Tuesday in San Sebastian, Spain, where Van Zandt played with the E Street Band this past Saturday.
On June 27, it’s on to Gelsenkirchen, Germany, and the last shows on this run of the tour are in Milan, Italy June 30 and July 3.
Van Zandt, Springsteen’s longtime right-hand man, who grew up in Middletown, is a guitarist with the E Street Band as well as the band’s music director. He also fronts the band Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul.
Van Zandt is also an actor known for playing Silvio Dante on “The Sopranos” and hosts the “Little Steven’s Underground Garage” radio show on SiriusXM through his Underground Garage channel.
Stories by Amy Kuperinsky
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Amy Kuperinsky may be reached at akuperinsky@njadvancemedia.com and followed at @AmyKup on Twitter/X, @amykup.bsky.social on Bluesky and @kupamy on Instagram and Threads.