Ravinia 2021 - Issue 4

S7E9E MALINS.I “IT HAPPENED ORGANICALLY … SHIFTING OUR SHOW TO AN ALL- REQUEST FORMAT. NOW, IT’S NOT REALLY A CONCERT, IT’S A PARTY.” Many 30- and 40-somethings are likely to recognize and admire Wein- berg not for his undisputed E Street heroics, but rather for his popular post as bopping bandleader of The Max Weinberg Seven and frequent comic foil for Conan O’Brien on NBC’s Late Night talk show. Begin- ning in 1993, he worked with O’Brien for 17 years, including the move to The Tonight Show , which ended in 2010. “My wife, Becky, and I were going to the Carnegie Deli in New York one night, and I saw Conan waiting for the light to change on Seventh Avenue. I didn’t know him, but still I recognized him, and Becky urged me to say hello. We started talking about music, and that’s how my life changed,” Weinberg recalled of the fateful initial meeting. Because Springsteen frequently makes albums and tours either solo or with other band configurations, Weinberg and his fellow E Street Band members often embark on their own musical projects outside their sacred “Boss time.” Thus Weinberg has front- ed several of his own outfits, such as Max Weinberg’s Big Band and this latest incarnation, Max Weinberg’s Jukebox, an interactive, crowd-pleas- ing concert experience backed by top-notch, versatile singers and musicians prepared to perform any of the 200 continuously scrolling song suggestions each night’s audience might request with a yell or applaud- ing approval. “It happened organically in April 2017, at Space in Evanston. It was sold out and we were playing a prepared setlist, and the reaction was great. After we finished, the audience want- ed us to keep playing. We just asked them what songs they wanted to hear. We played ‘American Girl’ by Tom Petty and a few others, and they went bananas, they loved it. Immediately afterward, my manager, Mark Stein— who lives in Glencoe and has been going to Ravinia for years—came to me with the idea to shift our show to an all-request format, and it grew out of that. Now, it’s not really a concert, it’s a party,” he asserted. Playing with Springsteen for the last five decades has schooled Weinberg for such an improvised show. Springsteen regularly veers off the evening’s prepared setlist and calls musical “audibles,” which Weinberg must be ready to play. During these moments, Springsteen shoots Wein- berg a sly, devilish look, completely confident Weinberg will begin any off-the-cuff choice with the correct, rocking rhythm. “It’s different being the leader than part of an ensemble like The E Street Band. As a bandleader I’m always thinking ahead. When I play with Bruce, I’m in the absolute moment. It’s Zen-like, time slows down. You have to be ready for what he may do. But drumming-wise, it’s the same energy. “I like to play these classic songs like they sound on the record. It’s not a jump-off point; we play them close to the original—not exact, but just like we did it as young kids when we learned them by listening with headphones and playing them over and over. As a drummer, I have to know how to play a little of this and that. Thankfully, I’m able to do that,” Weinberg affirmed. “It’s my job to entertain, to play my best. When I play drums, I take no prisoners. As someone described, I play the drums as if they owe me money. I like that,” Weinberg offered with a laugh. At a Springsteen concert, Bruce calls ’em, Max plays ’em. But during Max Weinberg’s Juke- box, you call ’em, and he plays ’em. “There are some songs people always want to hear, like “Highway to Hell” by AC/DC, “Surrender” or “I Want You to Want Me” by Cheap Trick, or “Rock and Roll” by Led Zeppelin. That’s my tribute to John Bonham. No one played like Bonham. I heard “Good Times, Bad Times” in 1969 when I was in junior high, and it changed drumming for me. It’s chal- lenging, but it’s fun to play. We play 25–30 songs and it’s a different show every single night. “Our song list is evolving. The songs we’re playing now are differ- ent from those when we first started this show in 2017. We’re ‘in concert’ with the audience. We’re one pulsing organism. The audience gets to hear the songs they want to hear, and I get to play the songs I grew up playing in bar bands. We play songs by The Beat- les, The Rolling Stones, The Kinks, and sprinkle in some Bruce songs too,” he said. Weinberg’s brave, challenging format keeps him and his band on their toes, and the audience involved, engaged, and entertained. “People like the participatory nature of it. Even if a song isn’t on our list, we’ll give it a shot. I’ve had this weird ability since I was a little kid—if I hear a song once or twice, I know the song. As a drummer, you’re like a hockey goalie, the last line of defense. You’ve got to know every son, or at least fake your way through it. [ Laughs ] In Jersey, that’s what you did. It’s a skill you develop and grow up with, playing five nights a week, six hours a night,” Weinberg enthused. Weinberg philosophically reflects on those early days and how they shaped his future goals, ambitions, and accomplishments: “Growing up in a Jewish home and going to Hebrew school four or five times a week, in addition to regular school, I learned a Jewish concept that translates as ‘light- ing the world.’ When you’re a young kid, you start to think, What is my approach to spreading the light? For me, it turned out to be drumming and getting people moving and dancing. “And I work with Bruce Springsteen, who is the ultimate ‘Dance-Meister’ at getting people involved! When you’re dancing, you can’t be in a bad mood. You don’t think of the world’s problems or your own problems. You’re just having fun. My way of contributing to ‘light the world’ has been though music.” James Turano is a freelance writer and a former entertainment editor, feature writer, and columnist for national and local magazines and newspapers. He has written official programs for eight Elton John tours since 2003 and is also a Chicago radio personality and host on WGN 720AM. RAVINIA MAGAZINE • SEPTEMBER 7 – SEPTEMBER 24, 2021 30