New doc celebrates rock ‘n’ roll ‘Disciple’ Stevie Van Zandt

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E Street Band guitarist Stevie Van Zandt is the subject of a new documentary, Stevie Van Zandt: Disciple, which will have its world premiere at the Tribeca Festival in New York on Saturday, before premiering on Max June 22. 

After over 50 years in music, you’d think he’d be comfortable in the spotlight, but Van Zandt tells ABC Audio he initially wasn’t keen on the idea of seeing his life on film.

“I really am quite grateful and honored that somebody would care enough about my life to want to make a movie about it,” he shares. “But at the same time, you know, I’m always going to be a little bit uncomfortable about being the center of attention.”

Bill Teck, the film’s director, says Van Zandt was so uncomfortable that it took decades to get him to agree to the project.

“He wasn’t even in the movie at the beginning,” Teck says. “He wanted me to do [it] with file footage and podcasts, and finally we convinced him to sit.”

After the premiere Van Zandt heads back to Europe to resume the Bruce Springsteen summer tour, which was postponed for three shows after The Boss suffered vocal issues.

“He’s great,” Van Zandt says of Springsteen’s health, noting that since the three postponed shows have been moved to 2025, “we may have another summer added to the tour, which is wonderful.” 

And fans who catch the shows now will see a looser set than they did with the first leg.

“Bruce is going back to picking out signs out of the audience, you know, taking requests,” Van Zandt says, although he notes, “we usually do a wide range of emotions throughout the show and that will remain the same.” 

The tour returns to North America in August. A complete list of dates can be found at brucespringsteen.net.

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