Bruce Springsteen opens Halloween show with perfect song

Kicking off the Canadian leg of their tour, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band packed a surprise for their Halloween show.

They opened their Halloween night show with a cover of “Ghostbusters.” Smoke covered the stage as Springsteen and the E Street Band made their way onto it.

According to Setlist.fm, this is the first time the Boss has played the song live. The cover seamlessly segued into “Seeds” to properly start the show.

Springsteen and the E Street Band nailed the performance — especially the horns section. It was a fun way to start the latest leg of their blockbuster tour.

What is “Ghostbusters”?

Ray Parker Jr.’s “Ghostbusters” is the theme to the 1984 movie of the same name. It is one of the most famous Halloween songs of all time and was nominated for best Original Song at the Oscars.

The first Ghostbusters movie was directed by Ivan Reitman and written by Dan Akroyd and Harold Ramis. Bill Murray stars alongside Akroyd, Ramis, Sigourney Weaver, and Rick Moranis.

Ghostbusters was a hit, grossing over $229 million on a $30 million budget. The first movie launched a franchise, including four installments in the main series and a Paul Feig-directed reboot from 2016.

After the failed 2016 reboot, Jason Reitman took the reins and directed Afterlife, the third installment in the main saga. A sequel, Frozen Empire, was released in 2024. Carrie Coon, Finn Wolfhard, Mckenna Grace, and Paul Rudd headline the new cast members.

The world tour

Currently, Springsteen and the E Street Band are on their first tour since 2017. Their current tour started in February 2023 and will continue until July 2025.

They are just starting an eight-show Canadian leg of the tour. They will soon go to Toronto, Ottawa, Winnipeg, Calgary, Edmonton, and Vancouver before taking a break from it.

The Halloween night show marked the start of this leg. It was the first show played by the Boss and his band since the special September 15, 2024, show in his hometown of Asbury Park, New Jersey.

During that show, Springsteen dusted off the deep cuts from his early work. Songs from Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J. and The Wild, the Innocence, & the E Street Shuffle were performed first the first times in years.

In 2025, Springsteen and his band will resume the tour on May 14 in Manchester, England. They will perform a final European leg before putting the tour to rest.

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band’s Halloween show setlist

Below is the full list from Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band’s Halloween night setlist, including their “Ghostbusters” opening. The show took place at Centre Bell, Montreal, QC, Canada.

• “Ghostbusters” (Ray Parker Jr. cover)
• “Seeds”
• “Lonesome Day”
• “No Surrender”
• “Ghosts”
• “Letter to You”
• “The Promised Land”
• “Hungry Heart”
• “Atlantic City”
• “Youngstown”
• “Long Walk Home”
• “The E Street Shuffle”
• “Nightshift” (Commodores cover)
• “Racing in the Street”
• “Last Man Standing”
• “Backstreets”
• “Because the Night” (Patti Smith Group cover)
• “She’s the One”
• “Wrecking Ball”
• “The Rising”
• “Badlands”
• “Thunder Road”

Encore 1

• “Born to Run”
• “Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)
• “Bobby Jean”
• “Dancing in the Dark”
• “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out”
• “Twist and Shout” (The Top Notes cover)

Encore 2

• “I’ll See You in My Dreams”