DANNY CLINCH
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band performed “Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town today, in Manchester, England.”
With a shout of “270 days till Christmas!” Bruce Springsteen introduced “Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town” at his concert with the E Street Band today at Etihad Stadium in Manchester, England.
The classic holiday song, which Springsteen and the band have been performing since 1973, most frequently makes its appearance in E Street setlists in the fall and winter, though there have been some spring and summer performances before, most recently in May 2014 at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn.
A fan wearing a Santa suit made the request by holding up a sign reading, “Santa Claus is coming to Manchester.”
“What’s the story with the guy in the Santa Claus suit?” Springsteen asked, from the stage. “Is there some connection between Manchester and Santa Claus that I’m not aware of?”
Springsteen then invited the guy to come onstage and sing with the band. After the song, he said: “Let’s hear it for Santa … only in Manchester! Only here. It’s the only place that’s gonna happen. Nobody knew that Manchester was where Santa lives in the off-season. Now we know.”
Here’s a video from the show, posted by Rob Stoney on his YouTube Channel:
And here’s one, posted by Mitch Slater on his YouTube channel, on which the quality isn’t as good, but more of the pre-song banter is included:
1 comment
Wow! That’s even 2 months early for Crazy Eddie’s Christmas in July Sale! My “Summertime Santa” tune might be a little more seasonal (and was inspired by Bruce’s ‘Santa’) > http://junglegymjam.com/gift-from-santa-to-jewish-songwriter/