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The lead guitarist for Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band made his return to the stage during their tour stop in Milan, Italy, and the crowd gave Steve Van Zandt a warm welcome back from his appendicitis surgery.
Videos from the show, which took place on June 30, 2025, have surfaced online. The E Street Band traditionally enters the stage one by one before The Boss takes the stage. Springsteen came out with Van Zandt, and the crowd erupted upon seeing Little Steven.
And Stevie got the biggest Milan roar when he came on stage 🎸🚂 @StevieVanZandt https://t.co/BiNU1V3lWU pic.twitter.com/5nclHIcQ0B
— Brian Hayes (@BrianHayes757) June 30, 2025
The band then kicked into a rousing rendition of “No Surrender” from Springsteen's Born in the U.S.A. album. They played a 28-song set and rocked Milan for the tour's penultimate show.
Now, they will play one more show on Thursday, July 3, 2025, in Milan. That will conclude the 2025 itinerary, and the tour will supposedly end after 130 shows across the globe.
Bruce Springsteen's guitarist Steve Van Zandt makes good on his return promise after appendicitis surgery
On June 23, 2025, Van Zandt announced he had appendicitis and had an emergency surgery for it while in Spain. What originally started as a “sharp pain” would be revealed as appendicitis.
“Got a sharp pain in my stomach, thought it was food poisoning, turned out to be appendicitis,” Van Zandt said in his statement. “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. Thank you all for all the good vibes. See you soon.”
While he did not say for certain, Van Zandt seemed hopeful to return for “at least one of the shows in Milan.” He made good on that, and he may be back for both.
It is great to see Van Zandt with his bandmates. He has been a member of the E Street Band since the '70s, officially joining them before their Born to Run Tour. He would later leave the group before rejoining them in the '90s.
Van Zandt has also dipped his toe into acting, most notably portraying Silvio Dante in The Sopranos. He has also appeared in American Dad!, The Irishman, and The Trainer.
