Actually I saw some of the later shows with Clarence and it was a little sad. They had basically put a throne onstage for him to sit in and bang on his tambourine while waiting in between sax solos. He'd stand up, do his solo to great applause and then sit back down again. I saw a video of him falling over after a solo and Bruce did a sideways somersault right after him to make it look like the whole thing was planned out. Touching, but sad.

They have his nephew Jake Clemons taking his part now and he's actually quite good. But you're right, the original band is gone forever after the deaths of Clarence and also Danny Federici. Overall though, the rest of the band still sounds great and they're performing at a level comparable to their prime.