Schertzer: Bruce Springsteen embodies the essence of Dad Rock

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“Boo! Boooooooo!” the crowd seemingly chanted at the Bruce Springsteen show.

Were they trying to get him off the stage? That didn’t seem right; the crowd was buzzing with excitement for the 75–year-old rock star.

Maybe they wanted to honour the spirit of Halloween? Not right, either — only a handful of costumes were spotted in the sea of more than 20,000 people at the sold-out Bell Centre show Thursday night (notably, someone dressed as a beer can holding a sign that read, “Eh Bruce, veux-tu une bière?”). The 17-piece E Street Band didn’t dress up themselves: Springsteen donned a form-fitting black vest and cuffs. But the band nodded to the holiday in their opener, a cover of Ghostbusters.

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As it turns out, they weren’t booing. They were yelling “Bruuuuuceee,” a common cheer for diehard fans of The Boss that sounds very close to a “boo.”

I didn’t know this beforehand, and was thrown off by what I thought was booing. As a 25-year-old, Springsteen’s 2024 Montreal Halloween show was my first time seeing him live. But Born To Run was the car ride soundtrack of my childhood thanks to my dad, a lifelong Springsteen fan who attended the 1978 concert at The Montreal Forum.

Everyone I spoke with over the age of 60 at the show had also attended the 1978 concert at The Forum. 

With his sterling voice and boundless energy, Springsteen has sustained a loyal fanbase, many of whom were in the crowd. A sea of people sang along to every song, knowing all the lyrics. He let the crowd sing the whole first verse of Hungry Heart before he joined in.

While the crowd leaned Boomer, people from all generations were present. 

“If you’re into music, he’s one of the staples,” said Kayla Charles, 29, who was at the show with her 61-year-old father and two of his buddies from high school. 

This sentiment rings true across all age groups. While pop music tastes have shifted toward R&B and subversive indie pop over the decades (e.g. SZA, Chappell Roan), Springsteen’s pure and poignant rock ‘n’ roll was a building block for music lovers across the Western world. Many of Springsteen’s original fans shared their love of his music with their children, which was reflected in the number of families at the Bell Centre Thursday.

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With his clear voice and earnest positivity, Springsteen embodies the essence of Dad Rock.

The biggest cheers of the night came from the E Street Band’s drawn-out drum and saxophone solos. Few other musicians would be able to generate the same crowd buzz from a 40-minute encore with the lights on. 

Springsteen is famous for his impossibly long performances. With no opening act, the E Street Band had enough time for a three-hour show. 

“You think you can outlast the E Street Band? You think you can outlast us after 50 years?” Springsteen teased at the end of the encore.

My dad had warned me about Springsteen’s long performances, describing the encore from the 1978 concert where Springsteen returned onstage in a Habs jersey: “I think they may have shut off the stage lights even. … But he kept playing and you saw 18,000 people all standing up. And I think most of us were standing on our seats, jumping up and down, pumping our fists and singing along,” which is almost exactly what happened nearly 50 years later.

Springsteen’s North America tour was postponed in 2023 when he was diagnosed with peptic ulcer disease. But his voice was powerful and crisp with a hint of vocal fry, sounding consistent with his younger self. Popping his knee and waving his cuffed hands on the Bell Centre stage, he showed no sign of slowing down.

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