If Bruce Springsteen's version of "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town" isn't on your Christmas playlist, do you truly love rock music?
It's weeks from Thanksgiving, yet the Boss threw some jolly vibes into the setlist Wednesday night (11/6) at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Canada, when he fulfilled a fan's sign request to rock the holiday classic.
The 20,000 at the hockey home of the Maple Leafs probably didn't know how good they got it.
Despite being a high-rotation Christmas song on FM radio, mix tapes, and holiday parties, Springsteen hasn't been playing it too much lately.
In the last eight years this is only the second time he and the E Street Band have done it. Back in May they did it in Cork, Ireland, because someone had it on a sign and it seemed like a funny thing to play in May.
In 2016 they did it just three times - and only once in December. Conversely, in 1984 during the Born in the USA Tour, they played it 30 times.
But after '85 they've never played it more than 10 times a year.
Still at 157 performances, Bruce is the king of doing the song live, followed by Neil Diamond who covered it 48 times.
Our records have Frank Sinatra being the first person to have performed it at the Broadway Theater in 1945. But that just can't be.
The song is celebrating its 90th birthday this year as the Harry Reser version was the first recording of the tune. So in 11 years of it being out, no one sang the somewhat creepy tune?
What's interesting about hearing the original is you discover and introductory verse that sets the scene of the narrator chillin' with Kris Kringle at the North Pole.
Many are talking about this particular Springsteen show, night two at the venue once called the Air Canada Arena. The show began a bit emotionally for Bruce and the band due to the early election results that had come in, which were contrary to what the long-time progressive had hoped for.
So as a nod to the current events unfolding The Boss moved "Long Walk Home" from where it normally is around the middle of the first set (typically song #10 or #11), to the night's kickoff tune.
The somber song with the peppy beat of optimism has often been introduced by the singer as “a prayer for our country.” Last night Bruce said, "this is a fighting prayer for my country."
The banger also has one of the best sax solos of the Jake Clemons era.
That led into the Wrecking Ball single, "Land of Hope and Dreams" which were more than symbolic of the emotions the 72-year-old politically active singer was going through at the top of the show.
Two songs that could have also fit into a set with tense overtones of the night were coincidentally both showcased when Bruce and the band visited Howard Stern last month: "Atlantic City" and "Born in the USA"
The latter is also not performed as much as you'd think. Despite being rocked more than 1,000 times, of late he has only played the title track of his biggest album just 1/3 of the shows of the 2024 World Tour.
And often when he really wants to drive the lyrics home, he does it acoustic, slowed down, and slightly altered.
Bruce and the band only have five dates left on the tour and they're all in Canada.
Will he play Santa Claus again? Will he deliver "Born in the USA" with all the passion of it's original style when it was written with Nebraska in mind?
If you're in Canada you're in luck and you should dig around Bruce's website to see if you can get on a waiting list as all the shows are sellouts.
If that's too long of a journey for you, Hulu is hosting a documentary of the band at this stage of its 50 year run. It's a delightful look at Bruce and the many members of the E-Street Band including Patti Scialfa, Springsteen's wife.
Consider the excellent documentary an early holiday gift.
