A guest blog by graduate student archivist Maura Foley
Trick-or-Treat? Throughout Bruce Springsteen’s career, spooky Halloween night concerts have been a treat for fans. This Halloween weekend, we look back on some memories of Halloweens past.
1970s
In 1975, just days following his famous TIME and Newsweek covers, Bruce stood before a roaring crowd at Oakland, California’s Paramount Theatre. With reviews of the concert noting Bill Graham as MC and dressed as “an aging rock producer,” the concert featured performances of “Thunder Road,” “Rosalita,” and many more Born to Run era hits. A review by the San Francisco Chronicle made a play on the iconic 1974 Jon Landau quote, writing, “I have seen the future of Halloween. Its name is Bruce Springsteen.” This performance inaugurated a decades-long tradition of Springsteen Halloweens.
1980s
The 1980 Halloween night concert at the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena featured tricks and treats for all who attended. Carried on stage in a coffin, Bruce began this Halloween performance with a rendition of “Haunted House,” originally recorded by Johnny Fuller in 1958 and covered by Jumpin’ Gene Simmons in 1964. With Clarence Clemons dressed as legendary Dracula, Bruce and the E Street Band gave concertgoers a Halloween to remember.
Photograph by Chris Walter in the September-October 2017 issue of Backstreets
1990s
The 1992 concert at the Target Center in Minneapolis took place during the Human Touch / Lucky Town era tour. According to Stan Goldstein in a NJ.com article, this concert featured a rare performance of “Spirit in the Night” as an opener. In a similar fashion to his 1980 Halloween concert, Bruce arrived on stage in a coffin, this time covered in dust.
2000s
While not necessarily another Halloween night concert extravaganza, the 2000s gifted fans with a special Springsteen Halloween surprise. On Halloween 2008, Bruce released the single, “A Night with the Jersey Devil.” This spooky single connected Bruce’s Halloween traditions with his deep connection to New Jersey. To learn more about this single and the history of the Jersey Devil, read last year’s Halloween Curatorial Corner blog post by Mark Krajak, “Delving into New Jersey’s Spooky Musical Past.”
2010s
Postponed to Halloween night due to Superstorm Sandy, Bruce played Rochester, New York’s Blue Cross Arena in 2012. Featuring a mix of emotions about the devastating Superstorm and the festive holiday, songs performed ranged from “My City of Ruins” to Bobby “Boris” Pickett’s “Monster Mash.” This concert is also noted as the only time “A Night with the Jersey Devil” was played in concert. Paul Gotham’s “Notes from the Road: Rochester, NY” is featured on Bruce’s official website and tells an in-depth tale of this Halloween performance.
2020s
The 2020s saw another special Halloween performance by Bruce and the E Street Band. This time at the Centre Bell in Montreal, the band opened the ghostly 2024 night with the Ray Parker Jr. theme song “Ghostbusters.” Rosie Long Decter from Billboard Canada declared, “If the Ghostbusters themselves aren’t available, Springsteen seems like a good alternative.”
Do you have any favorite Springsteen Halloween shows?
Maura Foley
Graduate Student Worker
Bruce Springsteen Center for American Music
Monmouth University
November 1, 2026
