Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band spent Halloween night rocking Montreal, Quebec, but only acknowledged the festive day with one musical moment.
Taking the stage to scary-sounding music, Bruce and the band launched into a cover of Ray Parker Jr.‘s 1984 #1 hit “Ghostbusters,” much to the delight of the crowd, who shouted the call-and-response “Who ya gonna call? Ghostbusters!” part at the top of their lungs.
But after that moment of levity, the first portion of the show was downbeat, with Bruce next launching into the deep cut “Seeds,” then devoting a good chunk of the first set to songs inspired by serious topics like death, disillusionment and loss, such as “Lonesome Day,” “Atlantic City,” “Youngstown,” “Ghosts” and “Letter to You.”
At one point, Bruce made mention of the importance of the upcoming U.S presidential election, then performed “Long Walk Home,” which he described as “a prayer for my country.”
The mood eventually turned more upbeat, with “Wrecking Ball,” “She’s the One,” “The Rising” and “Badlands,” before Bruce ended the show with a nonstop string of classics like “Thunder Road,” “Born to Run,” “Dancing in the Dark” and “Rosalita” and a rave-up version of “Twist and Shout.”
As always on this particular tour, he ended with the wistful acoustic number “I’ll See You In My Dreams.” And while Bruce and the band didn’t wear Halloween costumes, many fans did, including a few dressed like Bruce circa Born in the U.S.A., with white tees, jeans and red ballcaps tucked into their back pockets.
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