Steve Van Zandt on Bruce Springsteen’s Sea.Hear.Now return to Asbury Park: “It’s gonna be insane”

Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band got their start in Asbury Park, New Jersey, and now they are set to return to the beachside town on Sunday to headline the annual Sea.Hear.Now festival.

The Boss’ longtime friend and E Street Band guitarist Stevie Van Zandt is certainly looking forward to heading back to where it all started for them and knows it’s going to be quite an experience for fans.

“You don't want to be within a hundred miles. I mean, it’s gonna be insane,” he tells ABC Audio. “It's going to be crazy and wild and fun, obviously.”

Sea.Hear.Now was launched in 2018 and has been part of the continuing resurgence of Asbury Park, which Van Zandt says had been “just a wasteland” for the past 20 to 25 years.

“And now it's happening, man, you know, lots of new restaurants, hotels and all kinds of fun things down there,” he shares. “So, you know, it’s gonna be fun, man.”

The Sea.Hear.Now festival, which runs Sept. 14-15, will feature fellow New Jersey natives The Gaslight Anthem on the same bill as The Boss, which sets up the possibility for an onstage collaboration. The two artists have performed together in the past, and Springsteen has appeared on the Gaslight song "History Books," the title track from their most recent album.

Other artists on the Sea.Hear.Now bill include Noah Kahan, who'll headline Saturday, The Black Crowes, Trey Anastasio Band, Kool & The Gang, Norah Jones and 311. Check out seahearnowfestival.com for a complete lineup.