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Summer of Sorcery Live! At the Beacon Theatre
Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul filmed and recorded the final night of their Summer of Sorcery tour in New York City, in late 2019 -- their last show together before the pandemic hit. The full concert audio is captured on the first two discs of this 3CD set, with additional bonus tracks from the tour on disc 3. Highlights include special guest appearanes from Peter Wolf, Bruce Springsteen, Nils Lofgren, and more.
Professionally 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 and the Disciples of Soul bringing the house down as they showcase their acclaimed 2019 album, Summer of Sorcery, a 12-track album about the first rush of summer and the electric feeling of unlimited possibilities.
This 3CD set presents the full two-and-a-half-hour concert -- the triumphant hometown culmination of the European and U.S. tours for Summer of Sorcery -- via Wicked Cool Records/Ume. The live album was mixed by Bob Clearmountain and mastered by Bob Ludwig, both career-long collaborators, and includes thrilling performances of every song from Summer of Sorcery alongside tracks from throughout Stevie's solo career, songs he wrote for Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes, and some souped-up covers.
Arranged and produced by Van Zandt, Summer of Sorcery Live! At the Beacon Theatre kicks off with a special introduction from counterculture icon Wavy Gravy and from there traverses across Little Steven's genre-smashing body of work, from Summer of Sorcery and 2017's acclaimed solo return, Soulfire, through classic songs and fan favorites from his illustrious career, including an incendiary three-song salvo celebrating his work with Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes ("Little Girl So Fine," "Trapped Again," and "Love on the Wrong Side of Town"). Further highlights include spectacular covers of The Youngbloods' "On Sir Francis Drake," The Dovells' "Bristol Stomp," The Animals' "Club-A-Go-Go," and Bruce Springsteen's "Tucson Train."
Little Steven and the Disciples were joined throughout the Summer of Sorcery tour by an array of legendary friends and family. The Beacon Theatre performance 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."
In addition to the Beacon concert, this set 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 is back in the bonus tracks for an explosive cover of The Showstoppers' hit, "(Ain't Nothin' But a) Houseparty," -- which was recorded during the Soulfire Tour but, according to Van Zandt, "too good to leave on the shelf."
The disc 3 bonus 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.
As Little Steven writes in the liner notes, he and the Disciples "sprinkled enlightenment to a dark world from May 27, 2017 to November 6, 2019. First as the Soulfire was lit in the overture, and finally as the Summer of Sorcery played out its magical denouement. Herein embodies the still sparkling evidence of the latter, that which began as strangers' prayers imagined and ended as a family's promise fulfilled. Enjoy it at as much as we did at whatever volume is required to force your neighbors to call the cops."
Also available on Blu-ray.