Spafford Busts Out Previous Halloween Covers

Spafford dusted off a number of covers they originally unveiled at past Halloween shows on Friday night at Denver’s Ogden Theatre. The Arizona-based jam quartet devoted their entire seamless first set to instrumental covers, which they connected via deep jams.

John Carpenter’s “Halloween Theme” from the 1978 movie Halloween bookended the opening stanza. Spafford embarked on a dark and eerie bit of improv for over 17 minutes before performing the theme from video game “The Legend Of Zelda.” The four-piece hadn’t covered both the “Halloween Theme” and “The Legend Of Zelda” since October 31, 2014. A 20-minute jam emerged out of “Zelda” and led into an instrumental cover of Celine Dion’s “My Heart Will Go On.” The crowd provided the lyrics to the song Spafford last played on October 31, 2015.

A fittingly slow tempo jam followed “My Heart Will Go On.” The band eventually transitioned into an instrumental rendition of Ray Parker Jr.’s “Ghostbusters.” Spafford debuted and last played the theme from the 1984 movie on October 29, 2016. The four-piece delivered a high-octane 14-minute improvisation that they brought the pace down on at the end just before launching into “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” by The Tokens. “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” had been shelved since its debut on Halloween 2017. Spafford transitioned from a pretty jam out of “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” into an evil minor-key improv that featured another run at The Tokens’ cover and landed back on the “Halloween Theme.”

It wouldn’t take long for Spafford to use their vocal mics for the first time all night once the second set started with “My Road (My Road).” The band did reach back for another song last played on Halloween next by busting out their rendition of Cracker’s “Low” for the first time since October 31, 2018. Next up were originals “Dirtbath,” “Lonely” and “Gold Glittered Hat” before Spafford closed out the set by debuting a cover of Red Hot Chili Peppers’ “Under The Bridge” and encored with staple “Ain’t That Wrong.”

Watch fan-shot video captured by Corey Fenton of Spafford’s “My Heart Will Go On” below:

Setlist (via Spaffnerds)

Set One: Halloween Theme > Legend Of Zelda > My Heart Will Go On > Ghostbusters > The Lion Sleeps Tonight > Halloween Theme

Set Two: My Road (My Road), Low, Dirtbath, Lonely, Gold Glittered Hat, Under The Bridge

Encore: Ain’t That Wrong