Max Weinberg is on Easy Street this summer. Well, let�s make that E Street. "I�ve got the best of both worlds," says the Late Night With Conan O�Brien musical director (and leader of the Max Weinberg Seven), who took a leave of absence from the NBC show in February to reunite with Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band for a world tour that began its U.S. leg in mid-July (Weinberg returns to the show this fall). It had been more than 10 years since he last toured with the Boss and his bandmates, but the seasoned drummer admits he did not have to rehearse much "to step back into the role of �Mighty Max.� I spent 15 years actively playing those songs. It was all there."
Longtime fans of the band are seeing Weinberg in a new light, tuning in to Late Night to see the several comical appearances he has made by remote and phone while on the road. "Now, on tour, the fans of the band are always coming up to me to say they saw a funny bit from the show," he says. "It�s a great thrill." The 48-year-old New Jersey native is also showing a different side to his family. Kids Ali, 12, and Jay, 8, who are too young to know their father�s previous E Street glory days, and wife Becky are traveling with the band. "My children know me as the TV guy," he says. "It�s great to revisit my rock roots and have my children see me play in this context." And more important: "They really like the music."
copyright: TV Guide 1999
Photo credit: Max Weinberg by James Sorensen/NBC
