Watch Spafford Weave Super Mario Bros. & Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Themes Into Halloween Concert

Spafford celebrated Halloween at Treefort Music Hall in Boise with a concert featuring a Super Mario Bros. and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles theme. The band sported costumes that combined characters from the video game and the classic cartoon.

Dressed as “Mariangelo” (Mario and Michelangelo) guitarist Brian Moss began with a roll call of his bandmates, calling out bassist Jordan Fairless as “Princess Peachatello” (Princess Peach and Donatello), drummer Nick Tkachyk “Luigiardo” (Luigi and Leonardo) and keyboardist Cory Schechtman as “Toadphael” (Toad and Raphael).

The costumed quartet started off with a slow and grooving arrangement of the Super Mario Bros. Nintendo video game theme song. A sharp turn into the theme from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 1980s animated series followed. The seamless segues continued as they dropped into the Super Mario Bros. “Underworld Theme” and then their original “Backdoor Funk.”

Spafford then covered Halloween staple “Spooky” by Classics IV. They filled in the rest of the first set with a pairing of “Giants in the Light” and another original, the recently debuted “Motel 6.”

Spafford opened the second set with, “Spell Yourself,” a song by fellow Arizona-based band The Cheektones played just three times prior by Spafford, including its debut on Halloween 2014. “Space Gadget,” injected with Inspector Gadget theme teases, followed and flowed into another pass at the Super Mario Bros. theme and “Underworld Theme.”

Pink Floyd’s “Run Like Hell” made its second Spafford setlist following its recent debut. The Floyd cover segued into the original “Salamander Song.” The remaining two songs of the set were also originals, as “Weasel” and “Electric Taco Stand” rounded out the second half.

In what’s become a Halloween tradition for Spafford, the band began the encore with a nod to Harry Belafonte via “Day-O (The Banana Boat Song)” and “Jump In The Line.” The night ended with one more dose of the Super Mario Bros. theme.

Watch pro-shot video of Spafford’s 2023 Super Mario Bros./Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles themed Halloween concert below:

Setlist

Set One: Super Mario Bros. Theme > Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Theme > Super Mario Bros. Underworld Theme > Backdoor Funk, Spooky, Giants In The Light > Motel 6

Set Two: Spell Yourself, Space Gadget > Super Mario Bros. Theme > Super Mario Bros. Underworld Theme, Run Like Hell > Salamander Song, Weasel, Electric Taco Stand

Encore: Day-O (The Banana Boat Song) > Jump In The Line > Super Mario Bros. Theme