I’ve been watching Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band’s 2002 Barcelona gig on Sky TV, and just wanted to share my appreciation of the mighty Max Weinberg.
Good lord but that man can really, really play the drums. I’ve got a few of the Boss’s albums, but never really noticed the drumming. Live, though, MW is on fire throughout, hour after hour. On Born in the USA in particular, he is the very definition of an engine room, powering the band to rock out more and more.
The rest of the band are obviously musicians at the top of their game, but this was the first time I really understood what a difference an ace powerhouse of a drummer can make.
I couldn’t be a drummer due to my total inability to keep time with different limbs simultaneously, but if I could, driving a whole stadium mad during BITUSA would be a very nice way to spend a few minutes.
This is a pretty good read – by Max Weinberg’s son, Jay, on how he ended up playing drums for the E-Street band…..
https://www.drumeo.com/beat/jay-weinberg-one-foot-in-front-of-the-other/
That was a long but great piece. Here’s a hundred songs to learn says Bruce. Gulp.
What does he do which isn’t the massive exploding snare drum (which he is good at)? Is he ever funky or syncopated or sneaky groovesque? He’s probably restricted by the material so this is a genuine question. Seems like a decent bloke and he’s band leader on some TV show but I’ve never seen it.
He was band leader on the Conan show so you’d think he’d have a fair bit of adaptability. .
He’s a force of nature. I like that he uses a fairly basic kit. At one point (early 80s?), Bruce took him aside and said he wasn’t playing too well, he went away and worked really hard to get back to his best. Incredible stamina, doing 3 to 4 hours every night on tour.
I think he is a brilliant drummer for the E Street band but I do kind of agree with what @Twang is saying.
I think he has the subtle touch too but rarely required in classic E Steer. A good example for me is his drumming on I’m on fire – a very restrained drumming which sounds easy but is deceptive. S
Bruce has a wide range of styles which some will find surprising. Probably not too jazzy or funky, but 21st century albums like The Rising and Magic demonstrate a degree of versatility (despite the overall mediocre production)
Playlist! Playlist!
Haven’t used Spotify in a while but hopefully this works @Twang
Excellent thanks Dai! “The Rising” is one of my favourite Bruce albums.
Oh ok, so some of this will be quite familiar.
I forgot about Worlds Apart – saw them play that live and it was brilliant
Nice list. I’ve been doing my tax return to a Bruce soundtrack with a diversion into Little Steven.
Not for me.
Is disco subtle enough?
The music that BS produced with the E Street Band always seemed quite “meat and potatoes” as far as rhythm goes so I can’t say I’m in the same camp as you, CD.