Jay Weinberg is known for throwing down heavy rhythms with Slipknot, but did you know he got his “big break” performing with Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band?
When Weinberg was just 18 years old, he filled in for his father with the E Street Band, when his father took a leave of absence to play with Conan O’Brien’s band on NBC.
Now, Weinberg is thanking Springsteen and the E Street Band for that career boost and expressing how excited he is to see the band gearing back up for live performances.
“I’m so stoked that it’s only ONE MONTH until I see my E Street family play for the first time in six years!” Weinberg says on Instagram. “I’ve said it often, but I’m eternally grateful to @springsteen, @mightymaxweinberg, and the entire E Street Band for taking a shot in the dark on me when I was 18 years old — to undertake the no-times-in-a-lifetime opportunity of filling in for my father.”
He added, “Far more than learning several hundred songs and performing for close to four hours every night, it was the E Street work ethic that made an indelible impression on me. A vertical learning curve that left me with life lessons and a skill set I’ve applied to everything I’ve ever done since. Each day on tour, Bruce would hand me a list of five new songs to learn on the way to the venue to rehearse at soundcheck. Two or three of them would likely make their way into the set that night. Rock the house, head to the next city, and repeat.”
