Published by Cel Manero from Global One Media Inc.
The Boss kicked off his Halloween performance in Montreal with the eerie tune “Ghostbusters.”
On Halloween night in Montreal, Bruce Springsteen surprised fans at Centre Bell by opening his show with a cover of Ray Parker Jr.’s iconic “Ghostbusters” theme song. This marked the first time the 75-year-old Boss performed the track. In a fan video from the concert, The E Street Band sets the stage with the familiar keyboard and horn intro, while Springsteen’s backup singers add to the energy with their dance moves. When Springsteen takes the mic to sing, “If there’s something strange, in your neighborhood, who you gonna call?,” the crowd eagerly joins in, singing along enthusiastically.
After wrapping up “Ghostbusters,” Springsteen and the E Street Band returned to familiar ground, delivering a setlist filled with timeless hits like “Hungry Heart,” “No Surrender,” “Racing in the Streets,” “The Rising,” “Atlantic City,” and “The Rising.” He also included newer tracks such as “Letter to You” and a cover of the Commodores’ “Nightshift,” which appears on his 2022 album Only the Strong Survive.
Setlist surprises have become less frequent for Springsteen, but The E Street Band is on board with the consistency. In the new documentary Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band on Hulu and Disney+, the band members expressed their appreciation for Springsteen’s decision to stick with a regular setlist instead of constantly changing it up.
Garry Tallent, who has been playing bass with Springsteen since his debut album in 1973, shared his thoughts on the setlist, saying, “It’s not a jam session, it’s not stump the band. It’s an experience. It’s a show.” He went on to explain that Springsteen carefully crafts the setlist, and if you listen closely, you can hear the different emotions evoked by each song every time it’s performed.
Springsteen himself reflected on the importance of the setlist in the documentary, explaining, “The setlist is going to communicate the story you are trying to tell your audience this time around. And the 25 songs I chose to focus on would complete the narrative for what I wanted to say and it would let the audience know who I am at this point in my work life.”
The Canadian leg of Springsteen and the E Street Band’s tour runs through November 22, with the final show at Rogers Arena in Vancouver. Next year, the band will tour Europe in May, June, and July.
