Concerts

Make the setlist with the mighty Max Weinberg’s Jukebox

The E Street Band drummer brings his creative quartet to Cary Hall in Lexington Nov. 14.

Max Weinberg. Courtesy Photo

1 minute to read

You might know Max Weinberg from his longtime stint as the drummer in Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band. Or maybe from his almost two-decade run leading the Max Weinberg 7 on “Late Night with Conan O’Brien.”

But since mid-2017, the flamboyant, perfectly coiffed stick man has been spending a lot of time on a different sort of musical project, one that gives him an extraordinary amount of freedom when it comes to set lists. Truth is, his band, Max Weinberg’s Jukebox, foregoes any kind of traditional set list.

When the quartet (Chris Holt and John Merjave on guitars, Glen Burtnik on bass) takes the stage at Carey Hall in Lexington at 7 p.m. on Nov. 14, they won’t know what they’ll be playing until the audience tells them.

Billed as an interactive concert, it features a scrolling video screen with a couple hundred classic rock song titles – ranging from the Beatles’ “Can’t Buy Me Love” and Neil Young’s “Cinnamon Girl” to the Who’s “I Can See for Miles” and Creedence’s “Fortunate Son.” From Deep Purple’s “Hush” to Led Zeppelin’s “Rock and Roll” to – no surprise – Springsteen’s “Glory Days” and “Fire.”

As the titles roll by on the screen, Weinberg ventures into the audience and gathers requests that are shouted out. When his list reaches about 25, the show is on. And it’s a different one every night.