Famed guitarist Stevie Van Zandt was forced to miss numerous shows with Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band due to a recent health scare.
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In a recent social media statement, Van Zandt revealed he was recovering from surgery in Spain. He started struggling with his health not long after a show in San Sebastian. “Got a sharp pain in my stomach, thought it was food poisoning, turned out to be appendicitis,” he explained. “Got lucky with an exceptional hospital in San Sebastian.”
The musician went on to share that the surgery was a complete success.
Although he was forced to miss two shows in Spain and Germany, Stevie Van Zandt was able to rejoin the band for the scheduled show in Milan on June 30.
Van Zandt’s health issues come nearly two years after Springsteen postponed his tour to recover from a stomach illness, peptic ulcer disease.
“Over here on E Street, we’re heartbroken to have to postpone these shows,” Springsteen stated after the cancellation. First, apologies to our fabulous Philly fans who we missed a few weeks ago. We’ll be back to pick these shows up and then some. Thank you for your understanding and support. We’ve been having a blast at our US shows, and we’re looking forward to more great times. We’ll be back soon.”
Stevie Van Zandt Lost 100 Pounds Last Year
The musician’s surgery took place one year after he announced that he had lost 100 pounds.
During an episode of the Rolling Stone Music Now podcast, Van Zandt discussed his remarkable weight loss journey.
“It was a long journey, mentally, maybe spiritually back to that place,” he explained. “Because once I became an actor, that dominated up until a year ago. I had done the rock star thing, now I’m moving on. So then Bruce puts the band back together [in 1999], and I come back halfway, and stayed there really up until two years ago.”
Van Zandt then shared that he wanted to surprise people during the tour. “And I really feel like, let’s surprise everybody because they’re not going to know what to expect, man… Is it going to be like a bunch of old men coming back and going through the motions? And I’m like, no way, man. I’m like, we’re going to come back and blow minds….”
“So I lost a hundred pounds in six months. Let’s honor our audience’s loyalty,” he added. “Let’s honor Bruce Springsteen’s incredible writing and the E Street Bands’ hard work by showing respect and getting in shape for this one.”