Bruce Springsteen’s “hilariously horrible” rendition of a most unexpected tune has sent waves of laughter through the crowd in Montreal, Canada.
During his performance on Thursday, October 31, The Boss left his fans thoroughly entertained with encores and a stream of classic hits.
Yet, it was the opening song of the concert that caught everyone off guard – causing bursts of laughter during the Halloween festivities.
This marked the premiere of Springsteen and The E Street Band playing this particular tune, stirring quite the reaction on Twitter /X as attendees posted video snippets of the group, featuring The Sopranos’ Stevie Van Zandt, belting out the Ghostbusters theme song.
While Springsteen’s vocal prowess was largely praised, the surprising song choice bamboozled attendees who had a love-hate relationship with the cover.
Comments erupted on social media, with one user stating: “This is hilariously horrible. Love it!”. Meanwhile, another admitted: “I thought I would hate this, but it’s actually pretty good.”
And a third simply said “That’s hilarious.” The term “Ghostbrucesters” began circulating among fans as an affectionate nickname for the band.
The audience lauded the 75-year-old music icon for delivering such an unexpected surprise in his show, with fans saying the unpredictability was very special. One particularly excited fan commented: “That’s the kind of surprises, the long time fans go to the stadium for! Awesome!”
The Ghostbusters theme, originally performed by Ray Parker Jr, was an Academy Award nominee in 1985 but ultimately lost to Stevie Wonder’s I Just Called to Say I Love You from the film Woman in Red, starring Gene Wilder.
Despite missing out on the Oscar, the song reached the top of the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and secured the second spot on the UK Singles chart upon its release.
Springsteen’s setlist also included hits such as Dancing in the Dark and Thunder Road, along with his rendition of the Commodores’ Nightshift, featured on his latest album, Only the Strong Survive. This performance follows the recent premiere of the documentary Road Diary, which delves into the preparations Springsteen and his band made for their ongoing tour.
In the documentary, Patti Scialfa, Springsteen’s wife, disclosed her 2018 diagnosis with multiple myeloma, a type of blood cancer, which has impacted her ability to perform with The E Street Band.
She explained: “This affects my immune system, so I have to be careful what I choose to do and where I choose to go. Every once in a while, I come to a show or two and I can sing a few songs on stage, and that’s been a treat. That’s the new normal for me right now, and I’m OK with that.”