Steven Van Zandt Has Emergency Appendix Surgery, Will Miss E Street Band Shows

A sudden medical crisis struck E Street Band's Steven Van Zandt in Spain. The guitarist needed surgery at a San Sebastian hospital on June 23, and recovering will keep him offstage for upcoming European shows with Bruce Springsteen.

"Got a sharp pain in my stomach, thought it was food poisoning, turned out to be appendicitis," Van Zandt wrote on Instagram. "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." He also said he's grateful to fans for their support.

The musician, now 74, missed the San Sebastian show on June 24, and he'll miss the Gelsenkirchen performance on June 27. He's aiming to return for the Milan concerts set for June 30 or July 3. The E Street Band is on the Land of Hope and Dreams Tour.

This marks the third time Van Zandt has stepped away from shows. His Netflix work on Lilyhammer kept him away for weeks in 2014, with Tom Morello from Rage Against the Machine filling in. A COVID-19 case sidelined him from a Dallas performance in February.

During the Dallas show, bandmates Nils Lofgren and Springsteen split Van Zandt's parts, and Lofgren stepped in again during Van Zandt's recovery. 

As the Land of Hope and Dreams Tour winds through its final European stadiums, changes loom ahead. Springsteen shared with Rolling Stone, "Rather than do a 130-show stretch, which we did this time because we had been off for six years...in the future, I think we'll probably play more often and less dates." The Bruce Springsteen Archives will host an advance listening event for the new box set, Tracks II: The Lost Albums, on June 26, before its release.