Van Zandt praise for ‘wonderful’ Thomond Park show

SOPRANOS star Steve Van Zandt, a long time member of Bruce Springsteen’s E-Street band, has hailed the recent concert in Thomond Park and the crowd that witnessed it as “wonderful”.

Van Zandt was moved to pay tribute to the Limerick extravaganza, the first Springsteen had ever played outside Dublin.

An estimated 30,000 plus fans crowded into Thomond Park to see The Boss and his band in what many believe was the finest show of his tour in Ireland, which also included Cork, Belfast and Kilkenny.

Speaking to Hot Press deputy editor Stuart Clark in the most recent edition of the magazine, Van Zandt recalled Thomond Park and the magical July night that saw Springsteen play for over three and a half hours.

“That’s the hurling stadium, no the rugby stadium where we talked about hurling,” said the American musician and actor, currently filming a second series of Netflix show Lilyhammer in Norway, in recalling Thomond Park.

“You will have to forgive me but neither of those, I’m sure fine sporting pursuits, is followed much in New Jersey,” he explained with a smile.

“Limerick was a wonderful gig both in terms of the crowd and also the weather. We deserved some sunshine after the May and June we had. There was no escape from it; it was f*cking raining in Naples,” he laughed.

“Somebody said after Limerick that the atmosphere around town was ‘like St Patrick’s Day minus the fighting and urinating in public’, which I thought was a nice compliment,” he added, tongue firmly lodged in cheek.

Van Zandt also explained that this tour has been one of Springsteen’s best ever.

“I think we’ve surprised ourselves this year,” he explained. “It’s one of the best tours ever. Artistically it has been particularly satisfying in that we really did have to re-invent ourselves. I mean you are not going to replace (deceased saxophonist) Clarence Clemons. That threatened the future of the band.

“What we decided to do in the end was try to summarise everything Bruce has been doing these past 35 - hang on - 40 years. We’ve filtered everything through the E Street band prism and created something that I have to say feels very fresh and new for all of us,” he added.