Hank Azaria & The EZ Street Band at (le) Poisson Rouge
The actor/comedian’s tribute band is dead center at the crossroads of novelty and heartfelt.
I’ve seen Bruce Springsteen perform 91 times at the tender age of 37. That’s obscene and also awesome. In my journeys around the world to see him, but more specifically around The Garden State, I’ve seen all of the major tribute bands: The B-Street Band, Tramps Like Us, The E-Street Shuffle, and lesser-known ones like The Rising. I’m not saying this makes me an expert, but it does give me an informed opinion.
In my experience, successful tribute bands need two things – they need to know the music (and know it well), but they also need a sense of humor about what they’re doing. This is vital because the concept of a tribute band is a bit silly on the surface. You’re playing someone else’s music, usually their most iconic songs, to that artist’s fans. You have to take it completely seriously, but also taking it completely seriously is a recipe for disaster. Figure that one out.
Hank Azaria & The EZ Street Band have this formula down though. They are one of the most fun Bruce tribute bands I’ve seen. Backed by eight musicians who are clearly well-versed in the arrangements, Azaria puts on a show that is the right blend of honoring Springsteen and being self-aware of how crazy the whole thing is.
“We debuted this song at my birthday in April,” he said as he took the stage (in surprisingly good shape) and kicked off “Glory Days”. “I turned 60. And what better way to have a post-midlife crisis crisis, than by forming a band and playing Bruce Springsteen!”. That’s a paraphrase of his joke, but that’s it in essence.
At his core, he is clearly a fan with a deep love for Springsteen’s music. The night was filled with personal stories of flipping out when he met Bruce and also mentioning anecdotes that can only be found on Bruce bootlegs. Case in point: introducing “Thunder Road” with the story of the picture of Geronimo from the Passaic shows in 1978.
The band’s set is composed largely of hits and well-known songs so a casual Bruce fan can go with ease. The biggest surprise of the night was his cover of “Darkness On The Edge of Town” which he had a clear emotional attachment to, sang with sincerity, and executed well.
For the most part, Azaria stays in character as “Bruce” - using a low, raspy, occasionally southern voice and even moving like him. It’s a bit of a caricature, but done with love. This is also not to put down his effort because, as he said to a friend, doing an impression of Bruce is different from singing like him, and he worked for at least a year to be able to sing in a voice that is close to the real thing.
He’s also supported by a very tight group of musicians. Azaria also mentioned that almost none of the band grew up listening to Springsteen, but they’re enjoying it because they find the music so fun to play.
While all key musical moments in the songs were hit, a very special shout-out is owed to Evan Harris, the saxophonist who performed the solo in “Jungleland”. Not only is it long, but it’s also one of the most iconic things Springsteen has ever put on an album. Harris evidently worked tirelessly to not only get the notes down but also to capture Clarence’s sound. The fact that he pulled it off is obviously commendable, but I almost want to applaud him more for having the courage to even attempt it.
The crowd at (le) Poisson Rouge was a mix of Springsteen hardcores, Simpson fans, and those drawn to the novelty of seeing the two merged together. Simpsons fans got a treat of hearing Azaria do Moe’s voice (which he explained is a combination of Bruce & young Al Pacino) and Chief Wiggum saying “Bake ‘em away, toys.” This was another personal highlight as Wiggum is by far my favorite side character on the series and one that consistently makes me laugh. Also of note was the Simpsons-style poster of Azaria available at the merch stand and pictured below.
The EZ Street Band has performed before (most notably outside of a Mets game) but this was their first show with tickets and to their enormous credit, they sold it out. At the moment there are no other tour dates officially announced, but Azaria repeatedly called it their “first gig” and their instagram says that more shows are coming soon. Net proceeds benefited the 4 Through 9 Foundation, Azaria’s charitable organization that helps fund The Dream School in Harlem and The Human Solidarity Project. I have a suspicion that future shows will be for charity as well.
If and when more dates are announced, The EZ Street Band is well-worth a night out, especially if you’re a Springsteen fan. They pulled off what good tribute bands do: the audience going in thinking “alright, what is this?” and by song two they’re singing along as if it’s the real thing.
Perhaps all tribute bands should be fronted by comedians, especially if they clearly love what they’re playing and are aware enough to know that it’s sheer fun. This is exactly how it should be, because ultimately, “someday we’ll look back on this and it will all seem funny.”
SETLIST:
Glory Days
Prove It All Night
Dancing In The Dark
She’s The One
Darkness On The Edge of Town
Hungry Heart
Growin’ Up
Born In The USA
Jungleland (by audience choice, the other options were Streets of Fire, If I Should Fall Behind, & Wrecking Ball)
Rosalita
Encore:
Thunder Road
Born To Run
