Stevie Van Zandt: Springsteens Tour Boosts Security Amid Threats

and the E Street Band have reportedly been forced to increase security during their tour amid threats from supporters of President Trump.

In March, when the Land of Hope and Dreams American Tour kicked off in Minneapolis, , Springsteen, 76, told the Minnesota Star Tribune that the tour was 'going to be political and very topical about what's going on in the country.' 

Tour stops included , , and , which the rock and roll legend said are 'two cities where they had to deal with ICE, ICE's terror,' referring to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

With five cities left in the tour - including Pittsburgh on the 19th and the conclusion show on May 30 in Philadelphia - E Street Band member and guitarist Stevie Van Zandt, 75, told the Daily Mail in an exclusive interview that they've had to 'beef up security' due to threats over Springsteen's comments. 

Van Zandt, who has been part of the E Street Band since the '70s, said, 'This tour has been a little bit different because of the high security.'

'It's a very specific political theme to this tour and there's been a lot of threats, death threats. Usually there's always some, but this time it's been increasing.

'The band, Bruce, we've had to beef up security and, you know, it's mostly just talk.

'And it's not like we're saying something that's not true or we're saying something that's so really particularly controversial, but it's specifically political.'

He added: 'So the FBI and others have been really watching things and been overly concerned about it, as they should be. We want the fans to be safe and feel safe. So we really go the extra mile with extra security for that reason alone.'

Van Zandt, who is also in the midst of his promotional tour with his mezcal - Malvado Maple Mezcal - went on to say that the threats and added security haven't gotten in the way of their performance.

'I've been getting death threats most of my life. I had another encounter during my South Africa days when I was fighting apartheid in South Africa, I got threats then.

'I've been very political in my early years. I actually am a lot less political now. I'm  really not particularly interested anymore, but ironically as I got out of it, Bruce got into it.'

Springsteen has been a prominent supporter of the Democratic Party for decades. Earlier this year, he released a new song, Streets of Minneapolis, which he said, 'was in response to the state terror being visited on the city of Minneapolis,' referring to ICE. He describes ICE as 'King Trump's private army' in the protest song. 

The song is 'dedicated to the people of Minneapolis, our innocent immigrant neighbors and in memory of Alex Pretti and Renee Good,' he continued.

In April, Trump continued his feud with Springsteen, calling him a 'dried up prune', said the singer has 'long ,' and called him a 'total loser' on Truth Social.

Van Zandt, who stressed he's staying out of politics, told the Daily Mail that he has friends 'on both sides of the political spectrum' and that he turns to music, which he says 'is the perfect common ground' to bring people together.

The E Street Band singer has been by Springsteen's side for decades and has maintained an unbreakable friendship with the New Jersey native ever since the pair met in the Garden State in their early careers.

Like Springsteen, who still lives close to his hometown in Freehold, NJ, Van Zandt is considering a move back to where they first started due to the political climate.

'I've thought about [moving], but it seems like you keep getting pulled back to New York or New Jersey, and we're really at this point seriously considering leaving New York and going back to New Jersey where we came from. 

'I'm not very happy with what's going on in New York right now. It's not safe and it hasn't been safe for years and with this new administration now it's just going to be less safe. So I think it's time to probably get out of here.'

New York City’s administration is led by Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who took office on January 1. He faces significant criticisms regarding his policies, such as his former proposal to raise property taxes by 9.5 percent - which was later dropped following fierce bipartisan opposition.

Van Zandt - whose dream place to live would be in Southern France, such as Monte Carlo - continued: 'I think the world's a scary place at the moment for everybody. And the economy being what it is, it's been a disaster. It's like a permanent recession going on and so everybody's struggling one way or the other.'

For now, Van Zandt hopes to bring some cheer to fans through his meet and greets for his Malvado Maple Mezcal, for which he partnered with St. Johnsbury Distillery in Vermont to make a unique fusion of traditional Mexican mezcal and pure Vermont maple syrup that he says is 'smooth, smoky, and irresistibly sweet.'

'Usually, I'm doing a lot of meet and greets with people and I like the interaction. I like hearing what they're thinking,' he told the Daily Mail. 

'This was like pure indulgence and pure fun. We did it in Tampa [at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino]. We did it in Atlantic City [at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino] and we're going to be doing a lot more. We're going to doing a lot more of these type of bottle signings and meet playing bartender.'

He added: 'In my mind, I'm like 25 [years old], maybe 30. I'm just getting started. 

'I'm just kind of looking for the opportunities while I still have the energy. I want to get back on TV. I want to do a movie. I mean, I'd like to do another Broadway show, which I'm very proud of the Broadway show [The Rascals: Once Upon a Dream], that my wife [Maureen], Marc Brickman and I did. 

'Broadway is very exciting. My wife and I are executive producing two Broadway shows right now that we're looking for theaters for. So, I love all that stuff.'

The Daily Mail has reached out to Springsteen's rep for comment.