Professionally filmed and recorded before a sold-out crowd at New York City’s historic Beacon Theatre on November 6, 2019, the live concert extravaganza, Summer Of Sorcery Live! At The Beacon Theatre, expertly captures Little Steven, aka Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Stevie Van Zandt, bringing the house down with his band the Disciples of Soul as they showcase their acclaimed 2019 album, Summer Of Sorcery, a 12-track record about the first rush of summer and the electric feeling of unlimited possibilities.
The full two-and-a-half-hour concert will be released July 9 via Wicked Cool Records/UMe in a variety of formats including Blu-ray video as well as audio-only versions on 3CD and as a limited edition 5LP 180-gram “Psychedelic Psorcery Pswirl” color vinyl box set, which will be exclusively available via uDiscoverMusic and LittleSteven.com. The Blu-ray features the entire concert in HD video with the audio offered in both stereo and 5.1 surround sound to provide the next best possible experience to being at the rock ‘n’ soul revue. The live album, which was mixed by Bob Clearmountain and mastered by Bob Ludwig, both career-long collaborators, includes thrilling performances of every song from Summer of Sorcery alongside tracks from throughout Van Zandt’s solo career, songs he wrote for Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes, and some souped-up covers.
Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul were joined throughout the Summer of Sorcery tour by an array of legendary friends and family. Summer of Sorcery Live! At The Beacon Theatre is highlighted by a surprise appearance by the one and only Peter Wolf, who lends his inimitable vocals to powerhouse versions of J Geils Band’s “Freeze Frame” and Artists United Against Apartheid’s landmark protest anthem, “Sun City.”
Summer Of Sorcery Live! At The Beacon Theatre is rounded out with nearly an extra hour of live music featuring seven previously unreleased bonus performances recorded throughout 2017-2019, including with such superstar special guests as Australian music legends Jimmy Barnes and Peter Garrett, longtime friend and E Street Band bandmate Nils Lofgren, and the legendary Nick Gravenites, who joins Van Zandt for a spectacular rendition of the Electric Flag’s “Groovin’ Is Easy.” In addition, Peter Wolf returns for an explosive cover of The Showstoppers’ hit, “(Ain’t Nothin’ But A) Houseparty,” recorded during the Soulfire Tour but, according to Van Zandt, “too good to leave on the shelf.” The festivities come to a rousing conclusion with a star-studded version of “Sun City,” which edits together performances with Jimmy Barnes, Jake Clemons, Sam Fender, Peter Garrett, Courtney Hadwin, Garland Jeffreys and Bruce Springsteen.
“We were born freaks, misfits, and outcasts,” Van Zandt writes in the album’s liner notes, which also include personal comments about each performance. “We got into this business because no other would have us. While we were here we figured we might as well create a world of our own, because we didn’t fit in the one we were being offered. Being on the road with a band is the ultimate manifestation of that fantasy. Together you travel, you perform, you dispense joy, and you get to see the world while avoiding it at the same time”.
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Photo Credit: Anthony Correia / Shutterstock.com