The night before All Hallow's Eve, Bruce Springsteen and his E Street Band made some magic in Los Angeles. At the opening of the second of his two sold-out nights at the venerable Sports Arena -- the venue he's called home for a majority of his L.A. history, including a Halloween show there 27 years ago in support of 'The River' -- a smokey haze covered the stage amidst mournful music as a casket was carried out alongside the E Street Band. Steve Van Zandt shook his head in sadness until an arm reached up from beyond with one goal in mind: get that guitar. Shaking off the effects of his passing, Springsteen yelled to the crowd, "Is there anybody alive out there?"

And with that, the band was off and running for another two hours-plus of unparalleled rock 'n' roll intensity. And the treats were not done. During the encore, Springsteen announced, "We have another Halloween surprise for Los Angeles," before launching into a spectacular version of 'Kitty's Back,' that saw the Band reaching new heights from the beginning of the tour a few weeks back.

The fun didn't stop there. During the trademark 'Born to Run,' a crowd shot scanned the floor where a little girl was dancing on her dad's shoulders a few feet from the stage. The image was not lost on Springsteen, who, during 'Dancing in the Dark' was beaming a smile as he pointed several times in the direction of the pigtailed-girl. Afterwards, a concertgoer asked, "Is there anybody else whose shows make people so happy?" A rhetorical, indeed.