SEGER ROCKS DETROIT!
The Seger File
March 23, 2007

Bob Knoblock Photo

Latest News and Updates
 
Detroit - Joe Louis - 3/13/07
Set List
Previews
Reviews
DetNews Gallery: Seger at Joe Louis Arena
Fans On Tour
 
Detroit - Cobo - 3/15/07
Set List
Previews
Reviews
Photos
Fans On Tour
 
Detroit - Cobo - 3/17/07
Set List
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Detroit News Photos
Freespirit Photos
Mike Coyle Photos
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Auburn Hills, 12/20/06

Set List
Reviews
Photos -- DetNews
Photos -- Free Press
Video -- Channel 2
First-hand Fan Reports
 
Auburn Hills, 12/22/06
Set List
Reviews
First-hand Fan Reports
 
Auburn Hills, 12/28/06
Set List
Reviews
 
Auburn Hills, 12/30/06
Set List
Reviews
Photos
First-hand Fan Report

The Media Blitz

 
Gary Graff Interviews Seger
Audio from December 8
(An excellent interview, definitely worth hearing)
 
The Detroit News: SegerNation
Ramblin' again
 
A sampling of other articles, all at Seger Nation:
Seger's songs reflect Detroit
Longtime manager Punch Andrews
16 songs Seger can't do without
Stories behind 'Face the Promise'
Seger's discography
Travelin' man goes on tour
Fans rock the Hall on Seger's behalf
A long climb to the top
Seger at Pontiac Stadium
Interactive map of Seger's Michigan Fans stories on video
Photo galleries
Audio clips of Seger songs
 
The Detroit News
Bob Seger: The Interview
Photo Galleries
Backing Up Bob
The Silver Bullet Band
 
The Flint Journal
Frost warms to the road
 
The Monroe Evening News
Frost on road with Seger
 
The Oakland Press
Looking Back
 
The Ann Arbor News
More Seger Memories
 
WCSX Seger Blog
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Seger makes tour finale memorable
Doug Pullen
The Flint Journal
March 19, 2007

DETROIT -- "Soooo lonnng!!!" Bob Seger bellowed at the conclusion of his Saturday show at Cobo Arena.

It was the last performance of Seger's triumphant "Face the Promise" comeback tour, and, possibly, the last concert he'll ever give.

If it was Seger's last show (and I don't think it was), the iconic Michigan rocker went out the way he wanted - on a very high note.

He brought his buddy Kid Rock out for a rousing version of "Real Mean Bottle," dusted off a few songs and turned what could have been a very emotional night into a workman-like two-hour and 15-minute blowout of a performance.

The 61-year-old Seger told The Journal last week that Saturday's show "could be it," his last concert ever, though the chances are 50-50 he'll return at some point, possibly as early as June for a six-city tour of Canada and the upper Midwest.

Longtime keyboardist and Flint native Craig Frost admitted he didn't know what the boss would do, but welcomed a break from a tour that was supposed to last six weeks but turned into a 41/2-month victory lap.

"I'm a little burned out," Frost, the former Grand Funk Railroad keyboardist, confessed at an after-show party next door at Joe Louis Arena. The party was attended by more than 400 people, including Kid Rock, flanked by bodyguards, and former bandmate Uncle Kracker, who got the pre-show party started (on St. Patrick's Day, no less) with a pumped-up half-hour set.

The real party was on stage, where a large camera crew recorded Seger's every fist pump, nicotine wail and toothy smile as a full house of nearly 13,000 faithful cheered on their local hero. Seger responded with the kind of driving celebration of his legacy and his rock, blues and soul roots on which he built his Rock and Roll Hall of Fame reputation over the past 40 years.

It was a pretty straightforward performance. He never acknowledged that it was St. Patty's Day, wearing his customary black T-shirt and blue jeans (though many in the crowd sported green). He didn't offer any updates on the Michigan State-North Carolina basketball game (MSU lost).

In fact, his only sports reference was to his beloved Detroit Pistons, whose 38-5 start last season inspired the new song "Simplicity," one of the few weak links in the chain Saturday night. But he did dedicate "Old Time Rock & Roll" to his daughter's piano teacher, dedicated the rarely performed "Good for Me" to his wife of 19 years, Nita, and dusted off "Still the Same" in tribute to his loyal fans.

Looking a good 15 pounds lighter than he did at The Palace in December - in all, Seger played 10 shows in Michigan on this tour, seven in metro Detroit - and with his gray hair freshly trimmed, Seger offered up his standard show in the first half.

New songs "Wreck This Heart," "Face the Promise" and "Wait For Me" have gotten better and better live. They held their own with time-honored chestnuts like "Turn the Page" (on which the crowd turned into a 13,000-voice choir). The dynamic "Travelin' Man"/"Beautiful Loser" medley, was a high point and a throwback to "Live Bullet," the breakthrough concert album recorded at Cobo 32 years ago and the reason he was back here for the last two shows of the tour.

He mixed things up more in the second, more rewarding, half. There were rowdier than normal versions of "Horizontal Bop" (complete with Alto Reed's grin-inspiring sax theatrics) and "Katmandu," another "Live Bullet" staple revived for this tour. The real treat for hardcore fans was a punchy, horn-driven update of "Nutbush City Limits," the Ike and Tina Turner song that opened "Live Bullet."

The second set's country-tinged midsection was replaced by a pounding "The Fire Down Below," and "Good for Me," a forgotten gem from "Against the Wind" that put a winded Seger back behind the piano, buttressed by the soulful harmonies of backup singers Laura Creamer, Shaun Murphy and Barb Payton.

The Silver Bullet Band, numbering up to 14 members on some songs, was very much a well-oiled machine, with particularly strong contributions from the four-man Motor City Horns, whose role has grown over the tour, the steady pounding presence of Grand Funk drummer Don Brewer (like Frost a Flint native) and guitarist Mark Chatfield, whose piercing solos were particularly sharp Saturday.

Almont resident Joe Dogan said it was worth the $360 he paid an online ticket broker so he and his wife, Maryann, could see what could go down as Seger's last concert.

"I don't think he could've done it any better," Dogan said, "plus, I'll get to see it on DVD."

Seger summed it up best after a raucous version of "Old Time Rock & Roll."

"This is the way to end the tour right here," he said, shooting his fists into the air.

It was.

-- Doug Pullen, The Flint Journa
Cobo Hall -- 3/17/07
Fans On Tour
Andrew Sharp

WOW!!!! I decided to take the plunge one last time, one last hurrrah, for the sake of Bob and the Band and a lifetime of irreplaceable memories, and this concert was mindblowingly the best show I have ever seen anywhere anytime.

This was the best of the five I saw, and the others were probably the best I had ever seen to that point. I would put Vegas at number two, followed by Toronto, Palace # 2 and Chicago, although of the last three I really don't know which was better. Each was a special show in their own way. Anyway, I braved an ill timed snowstorm, and luckily got off the ground from Montreal  for the cause, and the cause was with me all the way. I made it!!!!  And Oh Boy! was COBO special, this was the one, and you always know that there is ONE out there, and this was it. What a send-off, what a way to say goodbye.

You could just feel LIVE BULLET oozing out of that building, the history. It was like being in some great historic American institution, a shrine to a simpler time of the greatest rock 'n' roll, and at times, as I walked around the inside I thought to myself it seemed more like an old, old school or even a prison with all that concrete, emptiness, and even wire fences in places.

It just had that old feel of when rock' n' roll really was, innocent, raw and pure, and genuine, just like Seger, and just like this last final triumph of his. I was cracking up because, instead of maybe some nice concession stands that you might find at one of the newer, larger stadiums, like say the Palace, or some great new hockey arena, for the most part, the beer was being sold out of plastic recycle style tubs and cardboard boxes from the middle of the floors in the hall way, and then I thought to myself, man, I really have arrived!!!! The MECCA COBO.

This was the best set list I had come across of the five shows I saw, expanded to 26 songs, and tweaked just about as right as you could get, 2 hours and 20 minutes of as pure rock and roll energy as you will ever see. Out, was Night Moves in the first encore, but in, and dedicated to all of us diehard fans was Still the Same, the first time I had heard that live since 1980 and it was great, an old friend.

Out, was The Answers in the Question, but in its place, and dedicated to his wife and all the band's husbands, wives, boyfriends, girlfriends, was the song Good For Me from the Against the Wind album. If I had had to pick one more song for Bob to play I would never have even thought of or picked that one, not because it isn't a good song, just not a great one, and there are so many others to choose from. BUT, when Bob started singing,  I realized that something pretty unique was happening, I sat back with complete admiration and thought, MY God, I  was completely entranced and blown away. This might have been the greatest vocal performance I have ever heard BOB Seger do, anywhere.

It was unbelievable, his voice was so strong, so clear, so honest, so much conviction, emotion and just downright genuine. You could feel it in your bones. The chills down your spine. It was then that I realized how special this guy, and his music really are, this one said it all.

And then there was Nutbush. Well, my, my has there ever been a better Seger song for a live audience than this one; if there is I haven't come across it. This song and performance was legendary. It just tore the roof off COBO, no wrecking ball required now; the place is ready to crumble after that one. This was one for the ages and we need the DVD to remind us of it over and over again. BOB And PUNCH I hope you are listening  - THE DVD, Please. The Police may be starting their world tour soon, but then there are the Po-lice; I know who I would rather look out for.

As for the "new" stuff, now not quite so new, it was better than ever, and now can fully claim its space as a full and legitimate partner with the repertoire. Wreck this Heart just steamrolled, and The Promise, well, delivered. It was pretty hard to say what the highlights were, because everything was, the piano trilogy from We've Got Tonight, Travellin' Man, Beautiful Loser were huge as usual.

And what a sight it was to see Bob and Rock go at it in Bottle, like Ali-Frazier just whaling away at each other, with Bob trying to avert the spotlight away from him toward Rock, but to no avail, as Bob more than held his own - as high energy as it gets. And then there was The Fire Down Below, one of those great, great intense Seger songs. No doubt Bob and the band got better as the tour wore on, more confidence and authority, and Bob's voice was as strong as I have heard it. If nothing else happens, Bob can know that he went out on top, in peak form.

It's funny but each show can feel like a blur, they are so intense, there is just so much going on, it is almost impossible to absorb everything, hard as you may try to, you just kind of get lost in it all, and maybe that is the way it is supposed to be.

So there it is, COBO, the great Bob Seger and his brilliant, tight Silver Bullet band have come and gone and it is shocking to think that this is probably it, all those years, all the richness of his songs, all those unstoppable performances, they are now history. We have the memories to live with and a world of thanks and gratitude toward this truly unique and special artist. We have been blessed and lucky to have had Bob for so long, and probably for this last time. Now all we need, is the DVD, just so we can travel back every now and then, to remind us just what it was like, what a treat it was. Thanks to all and to you Scott for this great site,  for making so much of this possible  and bringing it to us everyday.

Bob Seger Closes Tour With Cobo Blowout

Julie Jacobson-Hines
Oakland Press

DETROIT -- One fan's homemade sign said it all at Bob Seger's Silver Bullet Band's St. Patrick's Day concert: "We all come home eventually."

Indeed, a crowd of about 12,000 crammed into Cobo Hall to witness the end of Seger's "Face the Promise" tour on Saturday. Included were family members and friends of Seger and his band members. The emotion was evident as the crowd sang along, danced and occasionally grew misty-eyed as the band flawlessly played old favorites amidst its newer ones.

Seger thanked his wife and children for being patient through his 50-city tour, and he dedicated "Old Time Rock 'n' Roll" to his daughter's piano teacher, who beamed from the front row.

John and Gayle Szymek of Pontiac held a homemade sign: "Thanks for 40 years of Rock 'N Roll." As a teenager, John Szymek said he did some stage set-up for Seger when the rocker was just starting out. He recalled Seger playing a Waterford Township bowling alley before hitting the big time.

In addition to guitars, drums, keyboards and Alto Reed's saxophone, the band had the Motor City Horns and three female backup vocalists, for a full sound. Seger, who looked lean and energetic for his 61 years, played for 2 1 /2 hours, including short breaks.

Kid Rock joined in for a song near the end of the set, and the crowd roared a welcome for him, too. Dressed in a beige fedora, trademark sunglasses, St. Patrick's T-shirt and leather jacket, he sounded at home with Seger, who was dressed simply in black T-shirt and black jeans.

More gray hair receding hairlines were apparent in this crowd than at most rock concerts, but it showed the aging baby boomers don't want to let go of their early rock roots, or Seger -- their hometown hero.

-- Julie Jacobson-Hines, Oakland Press
More Seger Shows Coming After All?
WCSX Music News
Gary Graff
March 19, 2007

Bob Seger is apparently revising his thoughts about playing more live shows. After telling the Insider that he didn't plan on hitting the road again this year, in more recent conversations he's talked about playing a handful of shows around the upper Midwest and in Canada, mostly likely in late June and early July. Seger and the Silver Bullet Band have been asked to appear at the annual motorcycle festival in Sturgis, South Dakota. A decision about the additional dates may be made before the end of the month.

Meanwhile, Seger and company brought this portion of the "Face the Promise" tour -- 50 shows played to more than 600,000 fans -- to a fine conclusion Saturday (March 17th) at Cobo Arena, adding a couple of rarities to the set list -- the only tour performance of "Good For Me" from 1980's chart-topping "Against The Wind" album and "Still The Same," which replaced "Night Moves" in the encore. As he did on Thursday (March 15th), Kid Rock also appeared to recreate his duet with Seger on "Real Mean Bottle," a Vince Gill song that appears on the "Face the Promise" album.

The band and crew celebrated the end of the tour after Thursday's show with a private party in the Olympia Room of the nearby Joe Louis Arena. The entourage dined on pizza, sandwiches and wraps, while Seger and manager Ed "Punch" Andrews made short speeches thanking everyone for their efforts. The Silver Bullet Band members were also presented with platinum album plaques for "Face The Promise" before Saturday's show -- even though none of the touring band members appear on the album.

The entourage was also given pins that read "Cobo Hall: Return Of The Bullet," causing one of the musicians to remark "sounds like a good album title." Both Cobo shows were taped and filmed for a possible release, but no details have yet been announced.

-- Gary Graff

PR Newswire
March 19, 2007

The City of Detroit proved yet again that it is home to the greatest rock and roll audiences in the world when Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band ended their 50-city tour Saturday, March 17. In front of a lively sold out crowd, Seger enjoyed a return to both his hometown and Cobo Arena. "It was another historic performance at the legendary Cobo Arena," said Bill Lee, Olympia Entertainment's Vice President of Sales and Marketing.

"Live Bullet," the album largely responsible for making Seger a nationally known rock star, was recorded on September 4 & 5, 1975 at Cobo Arena. In honor of the famous recording and Seger's illustrious career, Olympia Entertainment, the facility management company for Cobo Arena, renamed the star dressing room the "Live Bullet" room. Olympia Entertainment officials were on hand Saturday night to present Seger with gifts and a plaque to commemorate the momentous occasion.

Cobo Arena -- 3/17/07
Seger, Cobo star together one last time
Tom Gromak
The Detroit News
March 18, 2006

Two aging rock-and-roll veterans got one last chance to bask in the glow of the spotlight and the roar of nearly 17,000 loving fans Saturday night: Cobo Arena and Bob Seger capped off a tour that may also mark the end of a career that spans a generation.

Neither has offered any solid clues about the future. As the region ponders the expansion of its convention center, will Cobo - the site of so many music spectacles - fall under the wrecking ball? And will Seger, 61, retire from the business that made him one of America's blue-collar heroes?

"This was his best concert, but I know it could be his last," said Kelly Martines, of Warren, who, with her long-time friend Susan Adam of Davison, attended two shows at the Palace and two at Cobo to take in as much Seger as they could. "I hope it's not the last, but, you know, you cling to anything."

Seger himself said little to tip his hand. He closed the show by dedicating "Rock and Roll Never Forgets" to "the best crew we ever had," then offered a simple "Thank you. So long" to a crowd that would have stayed and sung back-up until morning had the band played on.

Whatever the future holds, Seger seemed to be taking in every moment of this show. As he stood atop thrusts at the sides of the stage, he shielded his eyes with his hands to get a better view of the fans standing and cheering. Backstage, he bumped fists with bandmate Alto Reed, and pumped his fist to the rhythmic clapping and stamping of a crowd eager for a second encore.

"This was excellente. Totally the best," said Adam, who recalled having seen Seger with Martines when the pair were teens. "It's amazing."

Mt. Clemens native Uncle Kracker opened the show on time at 8 p.m. and wrapped up around 8:30. Seger took the stage soon after, playing a 14-song first set that included "Old Time Rock and Roll", dedicated to his son's piano teacher, Miss Susan. He finished the first set in a duet with Kid Rock on "Real Mean Bottle."

After an 8-minute intermission - as he promised - Seger was back with "Simplicity," a driving rocker he wrote for the Detroit Pistons' 2005-06 run.

Special for the Cobo show, he played "Good for Me," an album track from "Against the Wind" that he dedicated to his wife and the spouses and girlfriends and boyfriends of the members of his Silver Bullet Band. He finished the second set with a rousing and energetically extended rendition of "Katmandu" shortly before 11 p.m., and was called back to the stage twice for two-song encores.

Seger thanked the crowd, but Dennis Bokash, 50, of Atlanta, Ga., wanted no thanks.

"Thank you, Bob Seger," he shouted as he high-fived those around him. Then, at the conclusion of the show, Bokash stood at the bottom of section B5 and shook the hand of every fan that walked by, thanking them, too, just for being there.

Bokash said he also attended Seger concerts in his youth while living in Rockwood, including three of four shows on the 1984 tour. When the final Cobo show came up, he bought six tickets and brought his hometown friends. "I wanted us to see this. It's just a huge part of our lives," he said.

"When I was a kid, they used to bring me along," said Bokash's friend Dana Phipps, 46, of Carleton. "It's just a wonderful thing. It was awesome."

-- Tom Gromak, The Detroit News

Seger wows a home crowd
Brian McCollum
Detroit Free Press
March 17, 2007

It was the perfect storm of Bob Seger excitement: a historic venue, a giddy hometown crowd and one bang-up tour finale.

Lighting up Cobo Arena on Saturday for the 10th Michigan concert of his 50-city run, Seger and his Silver Bullet Band delivered a high-energy show for a capacity crowd of about 12,000 -- a lively St. Patrick's Day audience generously dotted with green.

Seger and company were in loose spirits, but the honed performance was particularly tight as they whipped up a set list heavy on old favorites at Cobo, nostalgic home to the Detroit rocker's concerts in the '70s and '80s.

"Now this is the way to end the tour, right here!" Seger shouted early in the night after an adrenalized "Old-Time Rock and Roll."

-- Brian McCollum, The Detroit Free Press

Cobo Arena -- 3/17/2007

Roll Me Away
Trying to Live My Life Without You
Wreck This Heart
Main Street
Old Time Rock and Roll
Wait for Me
Face the Promise
Sunspot Baby
Betty Lou
We've Got Tonight
Turn the Page
Travelin' Man
Beautiful Loser
Real Mean Bottle
Intermission
Simplicity
Ramblin' Gamblin' Man
Cest La Vie
Nutbush City Limits
Good For Me
Fire Down Below
Horizontal Bop
Katmandu
First encore
Still the Same
Hollywood Nights
Second Encore
Against the Wind
Rock and Roll Never Forgets
Seger Thanks Band, Crew At Tour Ending Party
Gary Graff
Oakland Press
March 15, 2007
 
Bob Seger hosted an end-of-tour party for his Silver Bullet Band and road crew following Thursday night's (March 15th) show at Cobo Arena. The entourage were shuttled to the Olympia Room at nearby Joe Louis Arena, where Seger and company played Tuesday night; there they dined on Little Caesar's Pizza, wraps and sandwiches. Seger and manager Ed "Punch" Andrews made brief speeches thanking everyone for their work on the four-and-a-half month "Face the Promise" tour, which was Seger's first since 1996. The trek concludes Saturday (March 17th) with a final, sold-out show at Cobo Arena that's being recorded for a possible future release. Kid Rock joined the group for "Real Man Bottle," his duet with Seger on the "Face the Promise" album, at Thursday's show, marking the third time the two have performed it during the tour.
 
-- Gary Graff, Oakland Press
Seger talks about his summer plans
Brian McCollum
Detroit Free Press
March 15, 2007
With his 50-city run closing Saturday night at Cobo Arena, the tour road is ending for Bob Seger and his Silver Bullet Band.

But is it the end of the road for Seger?

The Michigan icon, who will turn 62 in May, says he's not sure where it goes from here. A desire for more family time could push him back out of the public eye, he says -- just as it did in the decade leading up to this latest flurry of activity.

Still, with a handful of potential summer dates in the wings -- and demands from promoters for more -- Seger isn't putting a firm cap on anything just yet. And he's got enough to keep his hands full this week, with Cobo shows tonight and Saturday that will include a goosed-up set list, film and audio crews taping for possible releases, and scheduled appearances by fellow Detroit stars Uncle Kracker and Kid Rock.

Seger talked with the Free Press on Wednesday, a day after the Joe Louis Arena performance that commenced his tour-closing homecoming week.

ON HIS SUMMER PLANS: "We got these really big offers in Calgary and Milwaukee, and we had talked about a Canadian summer tour anyway. We only played Toronto (on the winter tour). It was a matter of the routing, because of the nature of the way we play -- only Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays. That's the optimum for us, which means you can only play so many dates, and there were a bunch of places we missed. So I floated the idea awhile back: What about a little swing through Canada?

"We might build something around that. The Milwaukee Summerfest, Minnesota -- probably Minneapolis. For some strange reason, it works, because it happens to coincide with Grand Funk's tour (featuring Seger drummer Don Brewer). But the downside would be Donnie has to play 10 straight gigs! (Laughs) So I have to weigh that.

"But it's not just Brewer. It's everybody -- crew, sound, lights. I'd say it's 50-50 at best, maybe 40-60. But at this point I'm inclined to hold the dates."

ON POSSIBLE SHOWS WITH FRIEND KID ROCK: "He firmly believes he's going to be on tour in June. But he's still finishing his new record. So he's only talking about (scattered) dates, not a full-on, full-fledged tour. But if we can get us both going at the same time, sure.

"It certainly would be a thrill to do that. I'd love to do a couple of dates with him, anywhere."

ON PREPARING FOR COBO, SITE OF 1975's "LIVE BULLET" RECORDINGS: On Tuesday, "we did a 2-hour, 40-minute sound check … and that was just for 'Nutbush'! By the time I played last night, in the middle of the show -- sometimes I talk to myself up there -- I said, 'Oh man, I don't know about doing Canada!' (Laughs)

"I've got to get some distance from this. Six dates (this summer) -- fine, that's no skin off anybody's back. I've got to decide in the next three weeks."

ON RETURNING TO COBO AFTER 24 YEARS, AND THE ARENA'S ASSETS: "That was my idea. When we did that (recent news feature on) 'CBS Sunday Morning,' we walked in there. And I said, 'Geez, it would be fun to play here again.'

"No. 1 is the sound quality there. When a building sounds good, it's really fun to do. There are a lot of arenas that don't sound great. I'd say 50 percent of them are set up for sports events, not concerts. Rupp Arena in Kentucky, Joe Louis Arena -- you get a big, boomy thing, and it's difficult for a singer.

"Then you get a building like Omaha, or Phoenix, or Cobo. The echo isn't as bad. It knocks down on the 500 Bobs I have to hear at those other places. I can just hear the one Bob. I mean, I had to wear earplugs at Joe Louis last night."

ON HIS MEMORIES OF THE "LIVE BULLET" NIGHTS 32 YEARS AGO: "It was really great. It was the first time, basically -- or close to the first time -- we'd ever headlined anywhere. So it was thrilling to be able to play everything we knew. We'd been playing (as opener for) other people, and playing for just 45 minutes, so to be able to try stuff and stretch stuff was really nice.

"God, we were just so strong then. We'd played so many nights. We were road dogs -- five, six nights a week. So we were ready for it, because it such an exciting opportunity. After 11, 12 years of not headlining, playing small venues, here we were. We were on."

-- Brian McCollum, Detroit Free Press

Seger aims to make tour finale special
Doug Pullen
Flint Journal
March 16, 2007
How best to wind down a comeback tour that has exceeded your expectations, played to nearly 900,000 fans and ends in your own backyard?
 
If you're Bob Seger, you invite acolyte Kid Rock to join you, hire a film and recording crew to capture every note and freshen the set list so fans who've seen you before will get something special -- even if it is the last show and you could just mail it in if you wanted.
 
"I'd hate to do the same show, so we're trying to toss something together that just might be special," Seger said, referring to Saturday's tour finale at Cobo Arena, the last of three tour-ending sold-out shows in the Motor City (the others were Tuesday at Joe Louis Arena and Thursday at Cobo).
 
Tossed in the mix, he hopes, is a special appearance from Bob Ritchie, aka Kid Rock, who joined him onstage last December at The Palace to perform "Real Mean Bottle," the Vince Gill song on which they dueted on Seger's 2006 comeback album, "Face the Promise."
 
"I'm pretty sure Bob's gonna sing with us," Seger said Wednesday from his Oakland County home. "You never know until soundcheck. That's when Bob lets us know, 'I'll be there.' He's finishing his album and he just did the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (induction ceremony)."
 
Seger says he's not really sad going into the tour sendoff, even though it could be his last concert ever.
 
"I think I'll feel some emotion Saturday night, for sure," Seger conceded, "but at this point I'm still in worker bee mode. We've got to clean up a few songs, like 'Nutbush' and some other stuff that may or may not work. It all depends on how quickly it goes together."
 
"Nutbush" is "Nutbush City Limits," the very song with which he opened his 1976 live album, "Live Bullet," which was recorded the year before at Cobo.
 
It transformed Seger from a regionally popular artist to a national treasure.
 
It's one of a handful of songs that Seger and his well-oiled Silver Bullet Band could pump out Saturday, what should be an exciting conclusion to a 50-city tour that averaged more than 17,000 fans a show and grossed more than $1 million per night, a figure that could have been much higher had he charged the kind of prices that stars of his considerable stature get away with these days.
 
But that's not Seger's way.
 
He may be rich many times over, but he's not far removed from his blue-collar roots.
 
Remember, the guy was once an autoworker.
 
And he hasn't forgotten the importance of hard work.
 
Even though he wanted to finish the tour elsewhere, wife Nita, manager Ed "Punch" Andrews and others in his camp convinced him to end it back home, especially if he decides not to tour anymore.
 
So, Seger said, "because we came back," he and the band -- which includes Flint natives Craig Frost on keyboards and Don Brewer on drums -- have been punching the clock a little longer trying to get "Nutbush," with which they opened Tuesday's show, and other songs, including "Good for Me" from "Against the Wind," into shape.
 
They spent nearly three hours working up songs at the soundcheck that preceded Tuesday's sold-out show at the Joe, and Seger planned to spend two more hours of rehearsal before Thursday night's concert.
 
"It took about six hours (total) to get 'Nutbush' right up, get it right and get it locked in," he explained.
 
Seger last played Cobo 30 years ago. It's "kind of a full circle thing," he said, but he's not sure if it'll be the end of touring for him.
 
"We'll finish there and that's it, and it could be it and it might not be it," he said. "I don't want to say either way. There's a pretty good chance that's it. It's 50-50. It might be the last gig I do Saturday night."
 
But, he noted, there is an offer to do a short Canadian tour in late June and July. Seger said he'll make a decision within three weeks.
 
"We missed most of Canada. All we did was Toronto. We didn't go to Edmonton, Calgary, Winnipeg and Vancouver, so we could put a couple of Midwestern dates in there, maybe Minneapolis and Milwaukee, to work up to it."
 
There are complications. Brewer, whose muscular drumming has been an integral part of the band's new power, has a string of dates with Grand Funk.
 
"If we do it, he has to play 10 straight nights. Poor guy," Seger said, breaking out into his grainy, disarming laugh.
 
If it's the end, Seger will have gone out on a high note. Not only has his tour been a commercial success, but Seger said he's enjoyed just about every minute of it.
 
"When we started, I told Punch I'd do 22 shows, I've done (49) with one more to go, 50 total. Oh my goodness. It's just beyond my expectations. It's been a great tour."
Seger still is writing songs (he wants to learn how to use ProTools in his studio near Clarkston) and probably won't make a final decision on his touring future until October.
 
He worked steadily on "Face the Promise," which has gone platinum, and the tour for the better part of the last three years. He wants to go home -- to stay.
 
He's used a private jet to fly home to wife Nita and kids Cole and Samantha after gigs. But Seger said it's not the same as being "in the swing of famly life."
 
"I'll be really glad to get back to my family," he said. "Sunday can't come fast enough for me."
 
--Doug Pullen, Flint Journal
Seger's Cobo stop a high note
Brian McCollum
Detroit Free Press
March 15, 2007
It's the place that gave Detroit Rock City its name.

When Bob Seger takes the Cobo Arena stage for shows tonight and Saturday, he won't just be stepping up for the final shows of his blockbuster national tour, he'll be stepping back into history -- and providing another touchstone moment for what just might be the most storied venue in the city's rich rock legacy.

As every red-blooded Motor City rock fan knows, Cobo and Seger have been tight for a long time. The old arena on Detroit's riverfront was the site of recordings for his 1976 breakthrough album, "Live Bullet," and through the early 1980s was the Michigan star's regular concert home, where he played 30-plus shows.

"This is kind of a perfect circle," Seger said Wednesday. "If this ends up being the last show I play in Detroit, there's a real great symmetry there."

For the 61-year-old hometown icon, playing Cobo is a poetic cap on a national run that has been extraordinary from the start. Since launching the tour in Grand Rapids in November, his first in more than a decade, Seger has enjoyed a one-of-a-kind comeback, grabbing glowing reviews and capacity crowds that have put him atop the box-office charts.

Along with Tuesday night's show at Joe Louis Arena and four at the Palace of Auburn Hills in December, the local dates have served as a dose of warm rock-and-roll fellowship for Seger's home state.

It may only get more magical: While Seger declines to commit to an answer -- he's still mulling summer dates -- he said the Cobo shows may very well be the final hometown performances of his career.

"Saturday night could be it," he said. "I have to be careful. It can be disingenuous to say that now and then not mean it later. But it really could be it. I'm really tired, I'm getting older, and I don't know how much longer I can do this."

For fans piling into Cobo for a night with Seger, where he'll play selected material from "Live Bullet," this week is a chance to bring clarity to long-hazy memories. They were the stuff of '70s teenage dreams: The eager mobs of long-haired teens piled beneath the familiar marquee, waiting for doors to open. The vast, ubiquitous cloud of smoke hanging overhead. Floors so sticky your shoes adhered.

With its relatively small capacity of 12,000, notoriously steep seating that makes every seat feel close, and above-average acoustics, Cobo became Detroit's go-to rock destination for bands and fans.

"It was an electric atmosphere, the best place to see a show," said Guy Seguin, 50, of Fowlerville. "When I heard that Seger was playing Cobo again, I knew I had to get tickets."

Saturday won't be Seguin's first notable night at the venue: He was there in 1975 when the J. Geils Band recorded its live album "Blow Your Face Out." It was one of many concert records to which Cobo and its zealous crowds have played host, including work by Seger, the Tragically Hip and Kiss, which later used the arena as the lyrical setting for its anthem "Detroit Rock City."

Having cut their teeth at the Grande Ballroom and other clubs in the 1960s, Detroit's rock audiences migrated into larger venues such as Cobo as the touring industry grew. With them came a definably Detroit spirit -- a little mayhem to go with the musical love -- that helped the city earn a reputation as one of the country's rock-and-roll meccas.

Classic rocker Eddie Money fondly recalled the scene in a 2003 Free Press interview.

"It's always been an amazing place. I've been dodging beer bottles up there for years," he said. "It was like a mosh pit before there was such a thing. People lighting cherry bombs, getting wild in the bathrooms. It was like being in the rock-and-roll den of iniquity -- sweaty, messy, and so alive."

With the rise of the Palace and Joe Louis Arena, Cobo found its place usurped in the 1980s, and today is home to just a handful of annual shows. Short on modern amenities but big on character, the venue still elicits reverent talk from those in the business.

"Musicians out on the road are well aware of Cobo's history," said Dave Clark of concert promotion company Live Nation. "I get comments all the time about how cool it is -- or would be -- to play in such a historic venue."

When it comes to Seger's special relationship with Cobo, perhaps few are better positioned to see it than Al Sobotka. As the building operations manager for Olympia Entertainment, which operates the arena, he has been in the trenches since the early 1970s. Few events get him as excited as Seger's run this week, he said.

"Fans always get geeked up for Seger at Cobo," said Sobotka, who drives the Zamboni at Red Wings games. "It's special for him to play here. ... This is like the Stanley Cup finals of rock and roll."

-- Brian McCollum, Detroit Free Press

Photo: Velvet S. McNeil, Detroit News

Seger's high-energy night moves rock The Joe
Susan Whitall
The Detroit News
March 14, 3007
Bob Seger hasn't laid off thousands of people. He didn't move his headquarters to Texas, and he hasn't torn down any buildings. So it was possible, watching him, almost lean after a rock 'n' roll aerobic workout for the past four months, to believe Detroit was on top of the world again.

Maybe that's why the feeling inside Joe Louis Arena Tuesday night was so giddy. It felt like any year when Detroit was triumphant, not battered, the kind of city where homegrown rock stars played the downtown arenas every other week.

Seeing Seger at his top form, with the Silver Bullet Band members honed over the weeks into the best shape of their careers, is to be reminded of a time in Detroit when the jobs were plentiful and the bosses were paying, and bands like Seger's felt it their professional duty to not only play their butts off, but to have so much fun onstage that it spread like a happy contagion through the assembled.

Seger bounced around happily, communing with the near-capacity crowd of 14,600 as if it were a bunch of teenagers at the Hideout Starting off with "Nutbush City Limits" is a great move, propelling the show into high gear from the start.

His voice is deeper and burnished, which delays song recognition a bit, as those high notes are gone. It's most noticeable in songs like "Old Time Rock and Roll," but he mustered a high note or two - relatively speaking - for "Katmandu."

Seger has said he doesn't want to tour without the same band and backup, and you can see why. The Motor City Horns are tight and add immeasurably to songs like "Betty Lou's Getting Out Tonight," bringing out the soul that has always been integral to Seger's sound, but could often be overshadowed in the arenas by flailing guitars.

His three backup singers - Shaun Murphy, Laura Creamer and Barbara Payton - are a huge part of the show; even with the considerable firepower of the Silver Bullet Band all around them, that feminine wall of sound wailing behind Seger on "Face the Promise" packs a potent punch.

Craig Frost's piano work is a reminder of how rock piano is severely underrated; he rocks as hard as the rest of the band, and it adds to that huge Silver Bullet Band sound.

Longtime Seger fans might feel a flashback or two when they see his slimmed-down 2007 self busting a few moves you'll recognize from his "Beautiful Loser" days.

 
Bob Seger Rocks Joe Louis In Home Town Return
Gary Graff
The Oakland Press

DETROIT -- The adage that you can't go home again does not apply in any way, shape or form to Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band in the Motor City.

As Tuesday's show at Joe Louis Arena proved, Seger and company can indeed come home, again and again and again...And nobody minds at all.

Kicking off the closing run of his ''Face the Promise'' tour, Seger had 16,500 home town devotees, a sold-out crowd already buoyed by a sun-filled spring day, on their feet from start to finish, singing along loudly to rockers such as ''Sunspot Baby,'' ''Ramblin' Gamblin' Man'' and ''Horizontal Bop'' as well as ballads like ''We've Got Tonight'' and ''Turn the Page.''

Seger's Detroit area partisans had already seen four shows in December at the Palace of Auburn Hills, so Tuesday he and the Silver Bullets brought surprises both significant and subtle. The biggest was the show-starting rendition of Ike & Tina Turner's ''Nutbush City Limits,'' a soul scorcher with horns pumping and precision stop-time breaks sharpening the dynamics. Followed by ''Tryin' to Live My Life Without You,'' it rooted the show in a sturdy R&B groove, while ''Roll Me Away,'' which had opened previous concert, proved a potent starting point for the show's second half.

Other changes were not quite as obvious but still effective -- noticeably the expanded use of the four-member Motor City Horns section in the bridge between ''Travelin' Man'' and ''Beautiful Loser.'' Seger also added ''Fire Down Below'' to the set, along with Vince Gill's ''Real Mean Bottle'' -- although Kid Rock was not on hand to re-create their duet from the ''Face the Promise'' album.

Forty-seven shows into the tour, the Silver Bullet ensemble was still on upward curve -- confident and swinging but still tight as Red Wings shootout and anchored by Don Brewer's muscular drumming. Guitarist Mark Chatfield and saxophonist Alto Reed laced solos throughout the show, while Craig Frost's piano playing gave most of the numbers an extra layer of coloring.

And Seger looked even more fit than he did at the Palace, leaner and more animated, offering anecdotal kernels before many of the songs and clearly having a ball. Given the 10-year hiatus prior to this tour, it's hard to say when we can expect to see him again. But as things wind down with shows Thursday and Saturday at Cobo Arena -- both of which are being taped for a possible live release -- Seger is certainly leaving fans hoping it won't be very long.
Fans On Tour -- Joe Louis Arena
March 13, 2007
Paul Dunn

Hey Scott,  just wanted to touch base with you about the show at the Joe last night. First of all I have the flu and don't know that it was wise to go - but it was definetly worth it! When we walked up the first thing we noticed (I went with my son and my brother) was the two Kid Rock trucks parked out front. Made me think that Kid Rock was going to be there - also Ken Calvert (dj on WCSX in Detroit) said on the air on the way across the border that Kid would be appearing - he didn't. On this night however, he was not needed. Uncle Kracker opened and did a great job warming up the audience - he even segued into Alice Cooper's "Be My Love" at one point - repeating the lyric "Told her that I came from Deeetroit City" several times. Kracker told the crowd that "he was probably the happiest mother #$^&*! in the whole building!" and he thanked Bob and the band for the opportunity to open.

Then Bob came on and to my joy he didn't come on with "Roll Me Away" as he had during the whole tour. Not this night. Seger came on to an incredible version of "Nutbush City Limits". As he approached the "Quiet..." part of the song I wondered what would he say there - hate to be anti climatic but I really believe he just sang the words to the studio version - I know he sang "you can hear the corn grow". The song segued into Trying To Live My Life Without You. From here Seger pretty much stuck with the set list but he was in excellent voice, great spirits and seemed to be having a ball. The crowd ate up Old Time Rock N Roll - Turn the Page was a gigantic sing along.  Although I didn't agree that the first Palace show I was at on Dec 20 was a subdued crowd - last night at the Joe they were pumped up and loud!

Seger opened the second set with Roll Me Away in place of Simplicity which was omitted. He did play two songs that I didn't see him do at the Palace show (other then Nutbush) - Fire Down Below and Katmandu. I loved the show and I bought myself another Seger shirt. What the hell, we have been derpived for so long I might as well spoil myself. I saw him twice and came away with four shirts and a hat. The night was incredible with the only draw back being how incredibly sick I am right now - but I wasn't going to miss it for anything.

Setlist
Joe Louis Arena
March 13, 2007
Nutbush City Limits
Tryin' to Live My Life Without You
Wreck This Heart
Mainstreet
Old Time Rock & Roll
Wait for Me
Face the Promise
Sunspot Baby  
Betty Lou's Getting Out Tonight
We've Got Tonight
Turn the Page
Travelin' Man
Beautiful Loser
Intermission
Roll Me Away
Ramblin' Gamblin' Man
C'est La Vie
Real Mean Bottle 
Answer's In the Question
The Fire Down Below
Horizontal Bop
Katmandu
Encore #1
Night Moves
Hollywood Nights
Encore #2
Against the Wind
Rock and Roll Never Forgets
 
Thanks to Kyle Daniel and Paul Dunn
Cobo Hall
March 15, 2007
Roll Me Away
Tryin' to Live My Life Without You
Wreck This Heart
Mainstreet
Old Time Rock & Roll
Wait for Me
Face the Promise
Sunspot Baby  
Betty Lou's Getting Out Tonight
We've Got Tonight
Turn the Page
Travelin' Man
Beautiful Loser
Real Mean Bottle
Intermission
Simplicity
Ramblin' Gamblin' Man
C'est La Vie
Nutbush
Answer's In the Question
The Fire Down Below
Horizontal Bop
Katmandu
Encore #1
Night Moves
Hollywood Nights
Encore #2
Against the Wind
Rock and Roll Never Forgets
 
Thanks to Kyle Daniel
Will Seger keep rockin'?
Susan Whitall
The Detroit News
March 13
 
Hit tour could keep Detroit legend up on the stage

 

Will he or won't he?

As Bob Seger prepares to close out his resoundingly successful, 47-date "Face the Promise" tour with a home stand of three downtown Detroit shows, starting with tonight's sold-out show at Joe Louis Arena, the question lingers: Is this it?

Will the 61-year-old rocker pack it up after Saturday night's gig at Cobo Center and retreat for another 10 years into the leafy quiet of Oakland County to watch his kids grow up, go to Pistons games and record in his Clarkston hideaway?

While Seger has said he wants at least the summer off, already he's hedging a bit on that.

"There's a chance we might do some dates June 28-July 14, the upper Midwest and Canada, up to Vancouver," Seger said by phone Monday. "But it's so hard to get everybody back for just two or three weeks, and I only want to do it with this band and this crew."

Many longtime Seger associates are clearly surprised but pleased at how well the tour went.

"This band sounds better than we did 10 years ago," said Silver Bullet Band keyboard player Craig Frost. "Bob has definitely got more energy "

Seger credits the band as well.

"I have a lot of help," he said. "The band was really, really good and everybody's been really committed."

Still, the rocker is a bit wistful when contemplating the future. "I'm going to be 62 in May," Seger said. "I still enjoy doing it, but by the same token, I've done everything I wanted to do. I came back, and I think we did a real good job and it was really fun."

"A good job" is putting it lightly. Seger's average number of tickets sold -- 17,600 per city -- was higher than any other act in the last few months, according to Gary Bongiovanni, editor of the industry trade magazine Pollstar.

Although Seger's shows grossed more than $1 million in each city, he is not the top-grossing act, but that's only because he kept ticket prices reasonable, with an average price of $65. In comparison, the average ticket price for Rod Stewart is $85 and for The Who, $92.

Latest CD goes platinum

As for his CD, "Face the Promise," which was released last September, it easily went platinum, selling 755,901 copies as of last week, according to Soundscan.

"Face the Promise" has outsold new releases by The Who, Prince, Eric Clapton, Stevie Wonder, Paul McCartney, Neil Young and Stewart. Out of this pool of veteran artists, Seger is third in total sales; only the Beatles and Bob Dylan have outsold him.

His seasoned but sturdy voice, gray hair and glasses, not to mention his nightly uniform of black T-shirt and jeans, were noted favorably in concert reviews across the country. Maybe it's because authenticity is rare in the glamour-crazed music business these days, and Seger is authentic -- to the core.

As Frost says: "Bob dances the way he wants, he does his thing. He's not trying to be cool. Most of the audience just loves that; he's like the guy next door. I've taken the time to watch the audience on this tour, and they're all watching Bob, with grins on their faces."

Seger undertook touring with the discipline of a Marine. On the advice of doctors, after each show he didn't hang around and socialize, but left for home or his hotel, to drink water and go to bed.

For all the dates in the East or Midwest, he flew home in a private jet so he could spend the night with his family; wife Nita, son Cole, 14, and Samantha, 11.

"I only had really one bad gig in Seattle where I had a head cold; I caught it from my daughter," he said. "Everything is so tightly packed, you can't afford to get sick."

Seger didn't even go to the backstage party after his December shows at The Palace of Auburn Hills.

"Oh, God, it's like being in jail," he said. "You've got to watch everything you do. They want to have a party, for instance, Thursday night because the crew is leaving Friday night. I said, 'Yeah, you can have a party but I can't go!'"

In part because of the long hours of rest he needs between gigs, and because he misses his family, Seger is hesitant to commit himself to another tour.

"I'm basically telling everyone, give me till October, let me thaw out, because I've literally been working for about two and a half years straight."

The band, Seger admits, feels a little sad that the tour is ending.

Frost, a Silver Bullet Band veteran of 18 years, figures he'll enjoy himself for about a week, at home in northern Ohio before he gets bored.

Seger admits he's surprised that touring was so much fun.

"It got long, and it got tiring but it never turned into what you call drudgery. Because the show was always so good, and we'd slip new songs in and out and make it fresh."

Detroit shows will be special

Did he enjoy hearing the roar from the crowd each night?

"Well, yeaaah," Seger said, thinking about it. "It depends on where you are. One night there was this one gal right up front who just kept screaming, and I'm trying to remember the lyrics to the song!" He laughs.

Seger and the band are in for a three-hour rehearsal today, because they'll be working on new material to freshen up the show for the historic downtown Detroit dates.

Because Cobo was the site of his career-changing "Live Bullet," recorded in September 1975, Seger added to the shows this week "Nutbush City Limits," which was a smash hit off the album thanks to the sweaty energy thrown off by the crowd, the band and Seger that night. The band is also working up the ballad "Good for Me" from the album "Against the Wind."

Kid Rock will be joining Seger for the Thursday and Saturday shows at Cobo, to duet on "Real Mean Bottle," and both those shows will be filmed.

"I wanted Rock for all three nights," said Seger, but Kid Rock was to attend the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction Monday for Ahmet Ertegun.

Years before his shows at Cobo with the Silver Bullet Band, Seger used to perform there on Danny Thomas' ALSAC charity revue shows. Reminding him of those shows sets off a blast of irresistible, raspy laughter as he remembered the reception given a few of the non-musical celebrities appearing.

"I remember (TV home improvement pitchman) Mr. Belvedere getting horrendously booed," said Seger. "I felt so bad for him. 'Oh, don'tboo Mr. Belvedere!' A charity crowd, no less!"

If the rocker does decide to ease into retirement again, of course he doesn't have to make any excuses for it.

"That's his prerogative," said Geoff Mayfield, Billboard director of charts. "Before that 10-year period he took off, you would see a lot of very busy years with a lot of tours. I don't think anyone would ever accuse this guy of being lazy. I would think he could continue. And never say never, with any successful entertainer."

Frost agrees. "I would have normally said no, he won't do another one, but Bob had such a good time doing this one."

"There's no question with Seger, I'm sure there's plenty of money being floated his way to continue touring, if he wants to do it," said Pollstar's Bongiovanni.

"I guess he showed his kids what he could do!"

-- Susan Whitall, The Detroit News

Seger will close tour in Detroit
Brian McCollum
Detroit Free Press
March 13, 2007

Rocker may return to stage this summer

It's been one of the pleasant surprises of Bob Seger's career: a sell-out tour that has reaped stellar reviews.

This week, four months after launching his national run in Grand Rapids, the Michigan icon is headed back home for a tour-ending trio of dates in downtown Detroit -- his first performances inside the city limits in two decades. Like his four-show stand at the Palace of Auburn Hills in December, all three hometown shows are at or near capacity.

Concertgoers will see a 61-year-old Seger still confident, say sources close to the rocker. Any uncertainty he had early on -- and there was plenty, he said at the time -- has dissipated: His voice has held up, the dates have gone smoothly, and the 50-show tour has been parked atop the national box-office charts. Fans also can expect a set list that's been tweaked since the Palace.

As for the remainder of Seger's 2007 docket? As he told the Free Press in December, promoters are clamoring to get him back onstage this summer -- and it's a good bet he'll play at least a handful of scattered dates when the weather warms up, say insiders.

Opening the shows this week will be fellow Detroit star Uncle Kracker, who is prepping for the release of his fourth album, "Happy Hour," due from Atlantic Records this spring.

Freep Opens Its Vault

 
Its vault of past Seger stories, that is. When the tour started last November, the Detroit News reposted its Seger archive at SegerNation (and they've added to it since then). Today, the Detroit Free Press opened its archives to mark the tour's end.
 
So here's your homework. The links below will take you to the Free Press site. See if you can get everything read before tomorrow night's concert!
The Free Press Seger Links:
 
03/14/04: A definitive oral history of Seger's early years
You already know the ending: Bob Seger becomes a multi-platinum star, a music icon headed to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
 
Bob Seger tour kicks off today
After weeks of rehearsals, months of anticipation and 10 years of waiting, the big day has arrived for Bob Seger and his fans. The Detroit rock icon will kick off his first tour in a decade with a concert tonight at Grand Rapids' Van Andel Arena, first in a seven-week string of dates that will bring him back for four hometown shows at the Palace of Auburn Hills.
 
Seger's tour kickoff is a welcome return
GRAND RAPIDS -- It's not always simple finding the magic in rock and roll these days. Sometimes you have to look hard, digging through a swamp of soundalike newcomers, fashionable phonies and retread oldies acts.
 
Fan reaction
Here's what some attendees had to say about Bob Seger's show Wednesday at Van Andel Arena
 
05/04/86: Magazine profile
Against the wind
 
01/09/77: Interview
Ann Arbor's Bob Seger: Behind the rock façade beats the heart of a nice, normal guy
 
10/31/03: Interview
'I'm just trying to keep things simple'
 
03/08/96: Profile
Detroit never forgets: Motor City welcomes Bob Seger back to the stage after nearly a decade
 
10/31/03: Profile
Originally published October 31, 2003
 
09/06/75: Concert review (Cobo Arena)
Seger is always heavy in Detroit
 
02/26/87: Concert review (Joe Louis Arena)
Hometown fans warm quickly to Bob Seger
 
03/11/96: Concert review (Palace of Auburn Hills)
Originally published March 11, 1996
 
08/29/86: Concert review (Pine Knob Music Theatre)
Seger's storm electrifies home crowd
 
03/28/83: Concert review (Cobo Arena)
Bob Seger at home: No need for pretension
 
11/14/76: Album review: 'Night Moves'
Their roots are the same; their sound is different
 
05/25/78: Concert review (Cobo Hall)
Seger blasts crowd to Motor City limits
 
12/10/82: Album review: "The Distance"
Sound judgment
 
01/30/69: Album review: "Ramblin' Gamblin' Man"
Bob Seger System has national release
 
04/03/86: Album review: "Like a Rock"
Bob Seger finally releases new album
 
08/26/91: Album review: "The Fire Inside"
Seger still on fire
 
09/12/06: Album notes: "Face the Promise"
Seger, track by track
 
09/10/06: Album review: "Face the Promise"
New Seger album is worth the wait: 'Face the Promise' is earnest, raw
 
03/15/04: Fans share their Seger stories
Seger fans never forget: Readers share warm memories of the artist who enters the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame tonight
 
03/14/04: Defining moments
Seger's journey through stardom
 
03/16/04: Rock and Roll Hall of Fame awards
Seger's stage: Detroit's leading man of blue-collar music is at ease on his black-tie night
 
03/12/04: Lead up to Hall of Fame award
Seger's night moves many fans: Kid Rock honored to introduce legend to Hall of Fame Monday
 
11/21/03: Hall of Fame nomination
Seger gets Hall of Fame invite -- finally