Little Steven Van Zandt: I am not retiring from Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band

Chris Jordan | Asbury Park Press

Show Caption Hide Caption Van Zandt among NJ Hall of Fame Class of 2017 The Induction ceremony for the New Jersey Hall of Fame Class of 2017 was held at the Paramount Theater on Sunday, May 6.

Stevie Van Zandt is not retiring anytime soon.

That’s the word from Van Zandt via his Twitter account, which pushed back on Monday, Aug. 27 against a report on Magicvalley.com that suggested he was stepping down from Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band.

“Don’t worry. I retire when they pull my guitar from my cold dead hands!” tweeted Van Zandt.

Don’t worry. I retire when they pull my guitar from my cold dead hands! https://t.co/OdVvT5Pons — Stevie Van Zandt (@StevieVanZandt) August 27, 2018

The Middletown native, 67, also rebuffed a web rumor that his pal Springsteen absolutely won’t tour after the run of “Springsteen on Broadway” ends in December.

Right now, there’s no answer to that.

“Beware of yet another (blank) headline,” Van Zandt tweeted. “Bruce is on Broadway through December. He may decide to tour in January. Or he may not. January ‘19, ‘20, ‘21, or never! The question was do I THINK we’ll tour again. And I said yes I THINK we will. But there’s no way to know when. Got it?”

Got it. The past few days have been rife with speculation about a future E Street Band activity. The Magicvalley.com article suggested, with Van Zandt quotes, that Little Steven was going to pursue something “behind the scenes” instead of touring again.

More: Little Steven Van Zandt talks TeachRock, Sopranos and the next Springsteen, E Street tour

“The performing part of what I do in general is fun and important in its own way, but what really gets me off and what I really dig is the creative stuff which is producing and writing,” Van Zandt said. “I’ve always had more of an interest in the behind the scenes sort of thing rather than being necessarily in the spotlight.”

His actions would belie that sentiment. Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul are heading back on the road for the second leg of his North American “Soulfire Teachrock Tour 2018.” The tour, which connects teachers to the Van Zandt-promoted Teachrock curriculum, begins October 18 at the Kirby Center in Wilkes Barre, PA. and comes back to Jersey for a show October 23 at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City.

As for next year, Van Zandt and the Disciples of Soul will release a new album and go out on tour — if the E Street Band doesn’t.

“If everything falls into place, and the E St Band don’t go out, there will be a new Disciples Of Soul album and tour summer of 2019,” Van Zandt tweeted. E Street Band bassist Garry Tallent provided a retweet.

Van Zandt and the Disciples of Soul last played Jersey when he was inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame at the Paramount Theatre in Asbury Park in early May. Springsteen joined the band for a song.

Van Zandt previously left the E Street Band from 1984 to 1999.

Chris Jordan: cjordan@app.com. Twitter: @chrisfhjordan