Who is Bruce Springsteen’s drummer?
Max Weinberg is a legendary Bruce Springsteen’s drummer who plays for the E Street band. He is also a band leader for The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien’s band.
Max Weinberg’s love for music was fostered early on when he attended Broadway shows every week.
He particularly favored pit orchestras big sound, and this same passion led him wanting to become a drummer at 5 years old – seeing how powerful it looked than any other instrument.
From there, Max developed an affection toward rhythms found throughout country & western tunes alike; but always knew drumming would be his true calling since he watched D.J. Fontana (Elvis’s drummer) for the first time live.
In high school, Weinberg wanted to be a lawyer, but he also had an interest in music and always kept his drumset in case any opportunities arose. He performed at weddings, bar mitzvahs and strip clubs before getting hired as the pit band member for a Broadway musical show.
Weinberg met Bruce Springsteen on April 7 of 1974, when The Jim Marino Band played with him.
Two drummers left Springsteen band before Max joined, Vini “Mad Dog” Lopez and Ernest “Boom” Carter.
Springsteen posted a funny ad in Village Voice newspapers searching for a drummer who is not Ginger Baker’s copycat, meaning he doesn’t want a drummer who will play long solos.
In mid-late August, Weinberg auditioned for Springsteen and the E Street Band, bringing a minimalist drum kit consisting of only hi-hat cymbals plus a snare and bass drum. He knew one song from Marino’s band “Sandy”.
Weinberg’s personal philosophy on tour has influenced the way he worked: “I’m not out here to party; I am doing my job.”
Many young musicians can learn a lot from hearing Max say: “Show up, do a good job, and give them more than their money’s worth.”
What happened to Max Weinberg?
In 2010 Max decided to leave Conan O’Brien’s show after a heart valve repair surgery. Max recovered quickly but wanted to go in another direction. Although he separated ways with Conan in the most friendly way, he decided to move on, playing with his own Max Weinberg big band and Bruce Springsteen.
In 2011 he was diagnosed with prostate cancer but successfully recovered after surgery. Since then, he’s been on several tours with Bruce.
In one of his interviews in 2021, he mentioned that we will probably watch another Springsteen tour in 2022.
Is Max Weinberg a good drummer?
Yes, Max is a legendary drummer and highly respected member of the drumming community. He represents true “American sound”. American bands are usually very tight and have an impeccable groove.
Max played 14 tours with Springsteen and played on more than 40 albums, mostly with Springsteen, Meatloaf, Bonnie Tyler, Ian Hunter and Carole King.
How old is Max Weinberg?
On April 13 2020, he turned 70, but he is still behind the drums living the dream.
How much does Springsteen pay the E Street Band?
The amount varied from tour to tour, but unofficial information is that the E street band and Bruce share equally 2.8 million per night. Again this is not confirmed information, but it is widely known that Bruce shares equal amounts with his band members. That’s why he is called “the Boss” in the music business.
That is something almost nobody does that why it is strange. When it comes to royalties, situation is different due to a different musician being credited. But, nowadays, when most of the earnings come from touring, the deal Bruce has with his guys is more than fair.
In the 80s, he sent a band on hiatus so he could focus on a personal project and gave each band member $2 million as severance pay.
Are Max and Jay Weinberg related?
Yes, Max Weinberg, who plays drums for Bruce Springsteen, is the father of Jay Weinberg, who plays drums for the Slipknot. Although they play completely opposite genres, they both share a huge musical talent and work ethic.
In 2008 and 2009, Jay filled in for Max with Springsteen. Unfortunately, Max’s commitments in Conan O’Brien show interfered, so he couldn’t play the tour. Band’s manager Jon Landau saw Jay as a good replacement for Max that would make fans happy, and fans looked at him as a young Dave Grohl in terms of style and energy he brought to the band.
He never replaced his father for good since he joined Madball, Against me and in 2014 Slipknot, where he plays up to this date.
Where is the E Street Band from?
E Street band is from Belmar, New Jersey, US. The E Street Band is an American rock group, who has been Bruce Springsteen’s primary backing band since 1972. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2014 – with a performance that was awarded iTunes Best Live Act designation at this year’s Grammy Awards ceremony!
When not working together or collaborating on records through their respective careers outside music, members are doing other things like producing movies/TV shows, soundtracks etc.
The members of the band have also performed and recorded with a wide range of other artists, including Air Supply, Gary U.S. Bonds, David Bowie, Tracy Chapman, Ray Davies Dire Straits, Bob Dylan, Steve Earle, John Fogerty, Aretha Franklin, Peter Gabriel The Grateful Dead Emmylou Harris Ian Hunter Lady Gaga Darlene Love Paul McCartney Meat Loaf Tom Morello Stevi Jackson to name just some!
In a recent interview with Rolling Stone, Bruce Springsteen said he didn’t expect to tour again until 2022. He also implied that the concert industry might be lucky if they can catch him in another year of his 70s because there are only so many tours and years left for him once we hit this age!