Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul rock the Basie, and impart wisdom, in Red Bank

Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul were ready for their close up.

E Street Band member Steven Van Zandt and his band played an expansive and rocking nearly three-hour set Tuesday, April 18, at the Count Basie Center for the Arts in Red Bank. The night was shot for a concert film to be released later this year, according to the band.

Multiple cameras, and camera platforms, in the theater gave the space an extra boost of showtime. Van Zandt and his stellar 14-member band wore plenty of paisley, scarves and feathers, a throwback to a '60s love generation.

“Music helps us focus on the common good in our souls,” Van Zandt said. “It helps all of our troubles fade away.”

That is true, but much of Van Zandt's music over the last several decades has been about uncovering troubles in the world, and often appealing to direct action. The career spanning night highlighted his battles.

For the 1988 song “Leonard Peltier,” the rocker said, “Without a doubt, the biggest disappointment in my life is my failure to get Leonard Peltier out of jail … Not a shred of evidence keeping him in there but we will never stop, either.”

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Peltier, a Native American activist, was convicted of two murders in 1977, but Amnesty International, the late Nelson Mandela, the Dalai Lama, the Rev Jesse Jackson and more have questioned the fairness of the trial and call for his release.

Van Zandt also talked about '60s girl groups and women's empowerment, Latin music and Latin American turmoil and “brutal dictatorships” that sparked his creative edge. His 1999 album “Born Again Savage” looked toward the future, and he did not like what he saw 20 years ago.

“The album was a sci-fi cinematic glimpse of a post-apocalyptic dystopian future where the environment had been destroyed and the population is left to grasp signs of hope they can find,” said Van Zandt, with a slight chuckle. “It has a very disturbing resonance for what's going on today.”

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The show was like going to a rock 'n' roll high school — or a class of Van Zandt TeachRock's curriculum. Van Zandt, a Middletown native, has cut his own path in show business, which including staring on the TV hit “The Sopranos.”

Tuesday's show was unique for its presentation and it's rocking quality. The Disciples of Soul, led by guitarist Marc Ribler and saxophonist Eddie Manion, hit all the right notes with power and verve — and Van Zandt's songs are first rate.

The rocker, who has lost a lot of weight in the past year, was a founder of Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes, and two Jukes songs mid-set especially stood out. “Trapped Again” sparkled with its taut rhythm contrasted by the soaring horns and Ribler's turbo guitar. The halting beat and sparking percussion of “Love on the Wrong Side of Town” made the Sound of Asbury Park classic sound even more like Asbury Park — a majestic boardwalk ride of fate.

Van Zandt voice was a little throaty on Tuesday, which he acknowledged early in the night.

“My voice ain't what it used to be,” Van Zandt said. “It's a little bit shot from being with that other band.”

The other band is the E Steet Band, which starts a European stadium tour in Barcelona, Spain, on April 28 after two and half months of playing arenas in the United States. Van Zandt, Manion and percussionist Anthony Almonte are with the current incarnation.

Van Zandt finessed his vocals it with soul, phrasing and moxie.

A second show is set for Wednesday, April 19, and tickets are available. It might be a long time before we see Van Zandt and his group come through again.

“Could be the last one for quite a while,” said Van Zandt on Twitter after the show.

Little Steven setlist

Rock & Roll Rebel

Soulfire

I'm Coming Back

Inside Of Me

Love Again

Until the Good is Gone

Angel Eyes

Princess of Little Italy

Leonard Peltier

A World of Our Own

Trapped Again

Love on the Wrong Side of Town

St. Valentine's Day

Party Mambo!

Los Desaparecidos

Bitter Fruit

Camouflage of Righteousness

Coulda Been a Politician

Ride the Night Away

Superfly Terraplane

Forever

Summer of Sorcery

I Don't Want To Go Home

Soul Power Twist

Out Of The Darkness

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Chris Jordan, a Jersey Shore native, covers entertainment and features for the USA Today Network New Jersey. Contact him at @chrisfhjordan; cjordan@app.com

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Little Steven and Disciples of Soul rock Basie in Red Bank NJ