- Seger Live!
- A special section of The Seger File.
- Updated February 11, 2007
- Written and edited by Scott Sparling
- sparling@segerfile.com
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Seger's Orlando Concert -- Online If you can't make it to Orlando tonight, don't worry -- you can listen to the Orlando show online. Only hitch is, there's a 34-year tape delay. What's actually online is Seger's Orlando show from May 13, 1973, broadcast at the time by WORJ in Orlando. The show was taped at a turning point for Seger -- his "Borneo Band" was falling apart, and a couple members didn't show up for the gig. Not long after this show, Seger decided it was time to put together a band he could count on -- and soon the Silver Bullet Band was formed. Check it out, here, and hit the Live Concert link.
Bob Seger's old time rock 'n' roll has never carried the intellectual weight of Bruce Springsteen's best work, but the Rock and Roll Hall-of-Famer's anthems are still plenty solid and fun. [A Note from the Seger File: Jim Abbott's reviews have never carried the intellectual weight of an anteater, as demonstrated by his need to trot out tired cliches in a futile attempt to give his opening sentence some punch. Abbott obviously needs a trip to the Seger/Springsteen Complexo-Meter. Furthermore, anyone who refers to songs as "war-horses" should not have a job that involves reviewing music. It's like asking a vegan to review a steakhouse. Still, I'm posting the remainder of his piece anyway, because he manages to include some interesting tidbits in the body of the review.] Seger and the Silver Bullet Band, out on the road for the first time in a decade, delivered an old-fashioned, rafter-rattling rock 'n' roll show on Saturday, January 6, for a nearly packed house at the Amway Arena. So what if war-horses such as "Old Time Rock & Roll" and "Turn the Page" are beyond cliche? When Seger and his massive ensemble launch into them, that can be forgiven. And so what if Seger, at 61, looks like your grandfather with his silvery hair, black T-shirt, blue jeans (not the designer kind) and practical loafers. It's still cool to see him back on the road, telling tales about the old days playing in Orlando in the 1960s. All that time on the road has paid off. The band's show, more than two hours' worth of music split into two sets, is high energy and crowd friendly. In front of the band, Seger was a chatty frontman, calling out acquaintances in the audience by name and introducing songs with a personal touch. He kept everyone updated with the score of the Dallas Cowboys- Seattle Seahawks playoff game, taking pleasure in ribbing the anti-Cowboys folks in the crowd. Seger alluded to his "long history of playing Orlando" in the introduction to "Turn the Page," calling it "a song that makes me think of those days." The memories must have been strong for the audience members, too. They erupted into a huge ovation, sang along lustily and held up the cigarette lighters in tribute. That song was augmented by a spot-on alto saxophone solo by Alto Reed, one of the founding members of the Silver Bullet Band. Reed, who played a variety of saxophones as well as guitar, was a kinetic presence. Dressed sharply in his white boots and burgundy jacket, he danced and played at the same time, not an easy feat when carrying a bass sax. Unfortunately, the saxophone was often lost in a harsh sound mix that detracted from the impact of the 13-piece band. Craig Frost's piano also was impossible to hear most of the night, although the drumming of Don Brewer (Grand Funk Railroad) did shine as the band's essential backbone. The rhythm section was the force behind three-chord rockers such as "Betty Lou's Getting Out Tonight," "Sunspot Baby," "Katmandu," "Horizontal Bop," "Hollywood Nights" and "Face the Promise." The latter, the title track of Seger's new album, was among several new songs that fit nicely with the familiar oldies. He saved the strongest of those hits, "Night Moves," for the first of two encores that concluded with a raucous "Rock and Roll Never Forgets." Obviously, Seger still remembers too. January 7, 2007 And the reviewer's follow-up from January 12, 2007 ...One woman called me an idiot on the answering machine this week in response to my favorable review of Bob Seger's show. Now I know: Seger is better than Bruce Springsteen and anyone who dares to think otherwise is, well, idiotic. Yes, the Seger tour is hot, ranking at the top of Pollstar's Top 50 list of current tours this week. Joel was at No. 6, with Stewart at 13. Both far outpaced John Mayer (19) and Breaking Benjamin (28), young guns with separate arena dates upcoming in Orlando. Also in the Top 5: Eric Clapton and The Who -- not exactly a pair of spring chickens either. There's a big market for these veteran stars. Still, I wouldn't cross the street to see Rod Stewart sing the Great American Songbook without a paycheck involved..."Tonight's the Night" is different when the singer is 62. Hey, nostalgia is subjective. I'd drive to Gainesville again tomorrow to see Tom Petty, and he's an AARP guy, too. I'd love to see Chuck Berry again, even more than watching Seger do a Chuck Berry song (as he did the other night). ...I love an old, skilled performer who can still summon the skills to create new music capable of surprises (Bob Dylan) and even one that's cantankerous and difficult (Van Morrison). Clapton surrounded himself with some young guns that impressed me more than he did.
Seger's show last night at the North Charleston Coliseum (Charleston, SC) was one of the best concerts I've seen in a long while. It's the first time he's been through town since the 1996 tour, so he had a lot of eager fans waiting for this one. Bob's voice was in great shape, and the band was as tight as ever. Bob and Alto were animated throughout the whole show, tossing off energy to the rest of the SBB and to the crowd. Even Mark Chatfield, who Bob said was suffering from the flu, played like he was just lovin' it. The crowd, mostly in their thirties and up, couldn't have been more enthusiastic. They sang along word for word with We've Got Tonight, Turn The Page and just about every other tune Bob and the band did. The sound was muddled at times, and I was a little disappointed that Bob favored We've Got Tonight over some other songs. I spent high school in Michigan, and I would have loved for him to reach back for old gems like Innervenus Eyes or East Side Story, but that's just quibbling. What to leave in, what to leave out. The performances of Ramblin' Gamblin' Man, Travelin' Man and Beautiful Loser were so good they made the versions on Live Bullet sound weak by comparison. Bob and the band seemed to enjoy themselves, and if they are having as good a time on this tour as it would appear, maybe we won't have to wait another decade to see them again.
Bob Seger's first tour in 10 years brought the Ann Arbor singer to the Hard Rock Casino in Hollywood on Thursday night with a rousing two-hour stand of new songs amid his deep catalog of favorites. The enthusiastic reception proved that as far as the Michigan rocker is concerned, rock and roll really doesn't forget. The near-capacity crowd was heavy on those in their fourth and fifth decades who came of age in Seger's 1970s heyday. The singer wryly noted the march of time for himself and his fans by changing the lyrics of Rock and Roll Never Forgets to ``Now, sweet 16's turned 51.'' [51?? -- the reviewer must have misheard -- Segerfile.] At his best, Seger is a kind of Midwestern rock Boswell, his music of restless energy and wistful melancholy chronicling the frustrations and fleeting cheer of the working class. There's an artless poetry to Seger's finest songs reflecting the pent-up alienation and semi-articulate search for meaning amid bust-out nights of beer-case revelry -- most famously in Night Moves, a rock tone-poem of starkly unsentimental nocturnal teenage longing. Seger now wears wire-rimmed glasses and his formerly freaky long hair is silver and neatly trimmed. Clad in jeans and oversize black T-shirt, the singer was somewhat more restrained than in days of old, with fewer screamed yowls and an artful conservation of energy. But at 61, Seger showed great vitality, his gravelly shot-and-a-beer vocals in surprisingly good repair, with power to burn on the rockers and security on ballads like We've Got Tonight and Turn the Page. The grinning singer appeared to be having a great time, with his power-chord air punches, as he headed a crack 2007 incarnation of the Silver Bullet Band. Seger's new release, Face The Promise, was copiously represented and with an added live edge, many songs came across stronger in concert. It's telling that the best new material were the straight-ahead guitar rockers like Wreck this Heart and Real Mean Bottle. The title song's grit and propulsive drive stands with Seger's best amped-up stadium blasters of the past. Seger's live performances have always been some of the most energized of the rock era, and Thursday's show was best at its loudest and fastest, with combustible takes on Rambling Gambling Man, Roll Me Away, Hollywood Nights, Betty Lou's Getting Out Tonight, and especially a frenzied, tear-the-roof-off Katmandu. Guitarist Mark Chatfield and saxophone player Alto Reed's full-throttle solos even managed to blow the accumulated dust off of Old Time Rock and Roll. Reed and bass Chris Campbell were the only longtime members of Seger's Silver Bullet band but it proved a cohesive, dynamic group, with three female backup singers, and four brass players. Drummer Don Brewer (Grand Funk Railroad) provided firm rhythmic impetus with Craig Frost on keyboards contributing a Jerry Lee Lewis-like solo on Chuck Berry's C'est La Vie (You Never Can Tell).
HOLLYWOOD -- Bob Seger made a career of ordinariness by never seeming to want any more from life than the rest of us do. His approachable, straight-ahead rock 'n' roll songs traded in our basic desires -- for love, comfort, reassurance, painless memories and a sense of place. But he was always at his best singing about the elusiveness of these things. That's where his greatest appeal still lies after a decade away from the music business. Seger, performing on Thursday night at Hard Rock Live in Hollywood, showed he could still muster the grit and heft needed to carry his most rousing and carefree songs: Old Time Rock & Roll, Betty Lou's Gettin' Out Tonight and Ramblin' Gamblin' Man. But the ordinary man of more pensive songs such as Night Moves, Main Street and Turn The Page might, over the long run, prover truer and more durable. Seger, 61, sang those quieter songs with the same candid yearning that first attracted millions of fans in the 1970s. This was not a night for re-inventing or re-arranging material; repetition on radio has made the Seger songbook in its original form almost sacrosanct. Also, it's not in Seger's nature to throw curves for the sake of art: The capacity crowd of more than 5,000 people came for the sameness and familiarity provided by this Motor City icon and his mainstay Silver Bullet Band. The band sometimes grew to more than a dozen musicians, and sounded crisp in every combination of players. Horns and female backing voices converged beautifully on Seger's hit cover of an r&b chestnut first made famous by Otis Clay: Tryin' To Live My Life Without You, a case of heartache that Seger's voice put across with a mix of humor and regret. Songs from Seger's new album, Face The Promise, had a harder time standing out alongside so much famous company.Wreck This Heart offered some nicely turned confessional phrases -- "Everything I do is just a little bit wrong" -- but wrapped them in a stock, two-chord rock sequence.
Bob Seger long ago trimmed the flowing brown locks that helped make him an ultimate symbol of corn-fed '70s rock 'n' roll. At 61, the Ann Arbor rocker still has an impressive head of hair, but it's a stately gray. In the DVD interview that accompanies his new CD Face the Promise, his first studio album in 11 years, the biker icon wears wire-rim glasses. No dyed extensions for this former car-factory worker who has always presented himself as a voice of the people, not a peddler of stardust. ''I've never lied about my age or anything,'' Seger says in a gravelly rasp over the phone from Naples, where he's had a home since '92. ``I think maybe it's my Midwestern sensibility.'' SOLD-OUT CONCERT More than perhaps any other artist, Seger epitomizes a certain American proletarian heartland idyll that held great sway a couple decades ago and apparently has intense staying power, given the outpouring of interest in Seger's new work and the tour that brings him and his Silver Bullet Band to Hollywood's Hard Rock Live tonight. (Scalpers are asking for hundreds of dollars for tickets to the sold-out show.) Seger was a hardworking touring musician, the ultimate journeyman bar-band act, for a decade. He earned intense followings in the Midwest and Florida (''A lot of people from Michigan go to Florida'') before he finally broke big in the year of America's bicentennial with two multiplatinum albums of guitar anthems and lighter-waving power ballads: Live Bullet and Night Moves. His albums have rarely gotten the critical acclaim of those by his T-shirted peers, but songs like Against the Wind, Katmandu, and Turn the Page are the kind of indelible radio standards few singer-songwriters achieve. PITCHING NOSTALGIA Even in the '70s, Seger was selling nostalgia. Night Moves reminisced about teenage trysts in a '60s car; Against the Wind mourned the idealism of youth; Rock and Roll Never Forgets and Old Time Rock & Roll lionized a musical form that was then already two decades old. At a time when hip-hop, reggae, punk, dance music, and rhythms from around the world were beginning to forever change and broaden pop music -- and were shaking up the tyranny of a 4/4 beat -- Seger was lamenting, 'Today's music ain't got the same soul/ I like that old-time rock 'n' roll.'' ''My band hated that song,'' Seger admits, referring to the veteran soul players in the Silver Bullet Band. ``There was an unwritten rule that Muscle Shoals musicians don't play rock. It made them angry. But we played it one night in Brussels and the crowd went nuts. We needed one more rocker on [the '78 album] Stranger in Town, and now we've been stuck with it. ``I was mainly referring to disco, which I truly loathed: the whole thing, the dress, everything was just hideous to me. In that regard it was a little slam at that. In my opinion the greatest music ever made was between 1955 and '57.'' ULTIMATE THROWBACK Seated on a bike in front of a golden prairie on the cover of Face the Promise, Seger is the ultimate throwback: the modern cowboy nostalgic for amber waves of grain. Icelandic singer Bjrk wasn't talking about him when she once deconstructed American rockist hegemony to this reporter, but she might as well have been: 'With the States, obviously the climax was the 1950s, when they still believed in plastic and nylon and Ken and Barbie and products and shopping, and rock 'n' roll was the sound. . . . The American rock 'n' roll industry is more conservative than the electricians' union in Iceland. . . . Once you've learned to be an electrician, you have to go to courses just to keep in touch. And everybody in the world is doing that except the U.S. rock 'n' roll industry. They're just staying in their jeans and their black motorcycle jackets and listening to guitar solos.'' Actually, Seger's spent the last decade raising his two sons, now 11 and 14. ``I was doing all the things stay-at-home dads do. I really enjoyed it.'' It was his '04 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame that inspired his return to the studio and stage. His sons liked seeing him play at the ceremony and encouraged him to get back in the saddle. Seger had been writing songs all along; he picked 12 for Face the Promise. `ABOUT THE FUTURE' ``It's really about the future, it's kind of a sly way of me giving advice to my kids. You hear that a lot on the album: on Between, about ecology. No Matter Who You Are, which is about maintaining your individualism.'' On No More, Seger connects the past to the present by comparing the conflict in Iraq to Vietnam -- and condemning both wars. Seger also challenges what outsiders might think of as heartland politics when the son of America's historic car-manufacturing state criticizes the mentality of buying bigger engines.
It took me 28 years from I first heard Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band, untill I was able to attend to a show. In mid-December 2006, I persuaded my family to take vacation in Florida, as we did last year. Of course there was a catch here. Bob Seger's on tour. So here my chase for tickets to the Tampa show started. We flew over from Norway earlier this week and spent some days sightseeing and enjoying the sun and good food. On the 11th Jan, we visited St. Pete's Forum where I bought ticket from the box-office. Got a good seat and was quite satisfied with that one. Changed hotel same day as Tampa-show, and relaxed by the pool. Left the hotel a bit early to catch up with the atmosphere around the venue before show and might hear the support act, which sounded good. Then there was a break for changeover, and I took the opportunity to do what everybody else was doing. ( Whatever that was) Then I decided it was about time to find my seat again, in good time before Mr. Seger with Band entered the stage. And when he and the band walked onstage, goosebumps occurred all over. From the first song I had a GREAT time. All those song I've played over and over again through the years LIVE. And I was there in the same hall ! ! ! ! Unfortunately, the sound was definitly NOT optimal where I was sitting, but we could hear the voice of Bob, guitars, keys, and the horns. Not to forget Alto Reed !!!!! What a great sound he creates. But nowhere during the whole show did I hear what Chris Campbell was doing onstage. Which was a pity, as Chris Campbell has been my # 1 bassplayer for more than 25 years. But due to years of touring and working on shows, I know that not everyone in a venue can get 100 % good sound. Anyway, I had a great time watching the show. Song after song just pumped out of the speakers, and man, was there a lot of goodies ! ! ! ! After a while Bob and the band had a short break before continuing the concert and part 2 started with 'Simplicity' from the new album, and is one of my favourites on it. I must admit that I was quit surprised by the response from the audience, as this song has a great groove, but it was like no-one had heard the song before. Which I got the feeling was the same with the rest of the new material. But it's a tough task to compete with the fantastic old stuff that they played that night 'det må være som å hoppe etter Bjørn Wirkola' ( Old Norwegian quote ) I guess you have to be Norwgian to understand that phrase. I mean, when you have material from Live Bullet, Nine Tonight, Beautiful Loser, Against the Wind and a whole bunch of great albums that people have played for decades and has a relation to, it's hard to beat that. All in all, for me it was a incredible night in Tampa And in my opinion after hearing Bob Seger do a 2 hour + concert : With that voice intact, he still has many years to go, which I personally hope he does, And also hope that he one day will return back to Europe. I don't see that you ever have been to Norway, Bob. Isn't that about time ? Anyway, now I have started chasing tix for NY and Boston. So, if anyone knows . . . . . . . . . . . . . Well that is for now, BBL.
I was in a section with friends of the band. The couple behind me had backstage passes. The male told me that his girlfriend was a neighbor of Chris Campbell in Sarasota. He apparently wasn't a fan, since he called him Mark Campbell and said he played guitar. I was on the aisle. The two women next to me appeared to be a mother and daughter. The younger of the two was probably 25 years old. She sat through much of the show, but came to her feet when she heard songs she recognized. The killer is that she got backstage passes for her and mom from a guy she said was a friend of Alto Reed. Also met a nice couple that are transplanted from Michigan and seeing Bob for the first time. They were absolutely blown away. They got their tickets from a friend/coworker that got them through the American Express special "prebuy" perk. Some observations: As Bob was opening with Roll Me Away, he spotted someone in the front row he recognized. His smile became bigger than usual and he bent over near the edge of the stage and started wiggling his fingers as he waited for the slapping of flesh. He later dedicated Turn The Page to this man and his family. I'm sorry I didn't get his name, but Bob said he used to be his tour manager -- which made TTP very appropriate. Real Mean Bottle was an absolute delight to hear live. Don Brewer does a great job! When Bob was introducing the band and when he got to "the girls," Shaun Murphy was offstage. He introduced Laura Creamer, then "Shaun Payton." He immediately realized his mistake and looked very embarrased as he corrected himself. I thought Bob and the Band were tight. They clearly seem to be enjoying themselves. There was some feeback problems on one song, but otherwise it was flawless. The audience was very polite during the new material, but most found it a good opportunity to sit down. Bob has a lot of guts, doing four songs in a row out of six he played from his new album. Most acts couldn't get away with it at his age and after such a long absence of new material and touring. The new stuff fits well with the classics, and Bob pulls it off. I thought the crowd seemed a bit subdued at the beginning, although I could have been influenced by people near me who were more friends than fans. There was no doubt that Bob had won them over as the show moved on. Even the young woman next to me started taking photos with her cell phone. I loved the opening show in Grand Rapids for many reasons. There was an electricity and excitement that night with the band and the crowd that can't be recreated. This show was also top notch. A high point for me was Ramblin'Gamblin' Man, which was on the set list but never performed on opening night in GR. It was awesome. Chris Campbell, like Bob, is also a smoker. Each time he left the stage he handed off his bass and was given a lit cig. The ritual was reversed each time he took the stage. I'm left wanting more! I've seen Bob many times in big and small venues beginning in 1975. His show has changed in some ways as age forces itself upon him and the band, but Bob and the band offer a show that is still unequaled by most performers half their age. I've gotta see one more.
Seger in Tampa - it was giving me chills Bob Seger's first hit was almost 40 years ago. The first song of his I heard on the radio was "Shame on the Moon" -- released in 1982 (I was 7). He stopped being relevant soon after the MTV boom. He had a couple of movie soundtrack hits and a haunting, epic song that later was ruined by General Motors. Basically, Seger had become blasé before I learned how to drive. The first time I saw myself dropping $70 for a ticket to see him concert was while I was in college. Grunge did nothing for me. Most bands in those days were too strident. I hadn't yet embraced Bruce Springsteen (although that was about to change). U2's previous album was too techno, hip-hop was too noisy and standard arena rock bands had become flaccid. I craved the kind of rock music that could be both uplifting and soulful. Two albums (cassettes) blared through my headphones night after night -- Seger's Night Moves and Stranger in Town. The truth is I hated college. I wanted to hear songs that helped me forget about where I was and what I was doing. At 19 years old, I wanted to be "out from the cornfields where the woods got heavy." In other words, I wanted to be working on MY night moves. It might be a flimsy dream for some, but it worked for me. Of course, I was so painfully shy and socially awkward around women back then, my "moves" would have involved a lot of stumbling and stammering … and then silence. But when Seger was on the radio, I dreamt I was someone else. I imagined myself being one of those who was "getting my share" with a woman with "points all her own, sitting way up high." OK, that's enough puns. Attending Saturday night's concert at the St. Pete Times Forum (ugh, I work for the Tribune, so I really hate having to type that) was a confirmation of why I sought the soulful sounds of Seger's music in 1994 rather than the angst-ridden wails coming from Nirvana or Soundgarden. Seger was gray, paunchy and wore glasses. I could tell the man was far removed from being in his physical prime. Once a lean, longhaired singing machine, Seger looked every bit like a man who had not toured in 11 years. He didn't sing like it though … While Seger was a fledgling rocker, he earned instant fame in his home state of Michigan, but was hardly noticed elsewhere, except in Florida. Many of those people who saw him 35 and 40 years ago were probably at the Forum that night. Walking into the packed arena, I felt a little out of place. One couple sitting next to me actually took a nap during the opening act! I hadn't been around so many AARP members since I worked at The Villages. But I digress … Bob (I actually prefer calling him by his first name) opened with Roll Me Away. He followed that with the Motown-flavored "Tryin' to Live My Life Without You." The third song was a new cut from his latest album. He followed that pattern for the rest of the night. The show consisted mostly of well-known classics with a smattering of new songs. The Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen and U2 are among the few long-time rock acts today that can play songs from a new album and maintain an audience's interest. Add Bob to that list. The crowd actually enjoyed the new songs. Fans have waited for more than a decade for new material and they appreciated hearing everything coming out of his mouth -- whether it was familiar or new. I once saw the Steve Miller Band live and the crowd literally groaned and sat down every time he played a song from his latest album. I'm glad that didn't happen on this night. Mainstreet simply soared. The song, like many of Bob's, describes a vivid scene and is accompanied by a rich, musical backdrop. Alto Reed's sax raised the show to another level. He danced and strutted across the stage all night. He was as good as he's ever been. Old Time Rock and Roll, a worn-out jukebox song, actually ignited the crowd. Admittedly, not every classic was played with the same level of enthusiasm. Travelin' Man and Beautiful Loser (highlights on Live Bullet) were mailed in. Bob bailed out on hitting the higher notes during the closing measures of Night Moves and the overall performance did not live up to expectations. C'est La Vie (a Chuck Berry cover) was an odd choice. Some songs not included in Saturday's setlist were Feel Like a Number, You'll Accompany Me, Fire Lake, Her Strut, The Fire Inside, Get Out of Denver and Still the Same. Thankfully, Bob also passed on performing Like a Rock. The rest of the show consisted of some surprises (Sunspot Baby, Horizontal Bop), but most of the songs that were expected to impress certainly did. Turn the Page, Ramblin' Gamblin' Man, Katmandu and Against the Wind sounded every bit as good as I had hoped they would. My personal favorites? We've Got Tonight -- This is the single greatest song about break-up sex ever written. It's a piano ballad and it could have been a momentum-stopper. Instead, it raised the temperature in the arena a few degrees. When he held the last note of the last line ("Why don't you staaaaaaaaay"), it was bona fide goose bump moment. Hollywood Nights -- I'm putting this one in my top 20 all-time concert performances I've seen. This is coming from someone who has seen more than 50 concerts (including 11 Springsteen shows). It sounds great in the car and even better live. That will stick in my head forever. I know, I know…this "review" was long and drawn-out. Most people wouldn't devote this much text for a concert, but Bob has sentimental value. I also gave up years ago thinking I would ever getting the chance to see him. I didn't think he'd tour again. I mentioned how I liked him in college -- well, I might have been the only one, at my college anyway. More than a few people ripped me about my musical preferences. (They still do.) It doesn't matter to me. Bob closed with "Rock and Roll Never Forgets." How many possible "punny" comments can I derive from that song title?
I felt young again Since I have been a dedicated Seger fan for more than 35 years, I was worried that his ability to perform live would end up understandably disappointing. After all, it has been a long time. At 61, could he really transfer that exciting feeling that we all have relied upon? However, as I was walking to my car after the show, I smiled to myself. I should have known that if he didn't have it any longer, he would not be on tour. The entire experience was incredible. Seger fans arrived to the show ranging from teenagers in hip hugger pants to cane waving dinosaurs well into their 70's. All were expressing a feeling of being very much alive. I could tell that there was nowhere else they would rather be. Even my wife, who considers Seger music as only acceptable, was clearly impressed. You see, we have the typical Seger-Springsteen debates. Prior to the show, she said, "Lets see if the women throw their panties on stage". I had to remind her that Seger women don't wear panties. There were nearly 17,000 people at the show and the enthusiasm of the crowd matched the level of the "Live Bullet" show at Cobo. You could tell that Bob loved it as he performed with an energy level that matched the tightness and speed of the Silver Bullet band. His voice was powerful and he was able to reach many of the high notes that I expected him to avoid. There is something about his voice that projects a reassuring explanation point to every word he shares. When his knees bend, the back arches, and the mic is raised over his head, you know that he is bringing home the note. The band was outstanding and Bob, as usual, ensures that they are noticed on their solos. He knows what the crowd wants and delivers consistently. Only Seger can make nerdy looks like the headband and nerdy gestures such as pointing and fist pumping cool. Real cool!
After long break, Bob Seger rewards his generations of fans with tour Old-time rock 'n' roller Bob Seger is back. After a 10-year hiatus from touring, the 61-year-old Rock and Roll Hall of Famer -- whose music has been immortalized in Ford truck ads and in blockbuster movies like "Risky Business," "Beverly Hills Cop 2" and "Forrest Gump" -- is bringing his 14-piece Silver Bullet Band to Bobcats Arena on Tuesday. The cross-generational fans who hit the show can expect a 2-hour-and-15-minute set that will include many of his classic hits, as well as six to eight tracks from his latest disc, "Face the Promise." (He reports that the crowds at previous stops on this tour have been appreciative, although he jokingly concedes: "Maybe that's because we are so exclusive -- this is only our second tour in about 18 years.") Just because he's been generally out of the music-industry loop since 1996 doesn't mean he hasn't been working. At the time, Seger had taken a break from music to spend more time with his son and daughter, who are now 14 and 11, respectively. But "when they'd go to school, I'd continue to write songs." After his kids saw Seger's Hall of Fame induction performance in 2004, "They said `Dad, you ought to go out and tour again.' So I got busy, and worked a little harder." In September, "Face the Promise" -- his first album of new material in 11 years -- debuted at No. 4 on Billboard's Top 200. It's vintage Seger, who wrote and produced everything on the album except "Real Mean Bottle," a duet with fellow Detroit rocker Kid Rock that was written by Vince Gill. "We share the same manager, Punch Andrews. He's a great guy and a good friend," Seger said of Rock, who on his self-titled 2003 album recorded Seger's unreleased song "Hard Night for Sarah." "We both have sons the same age." Thanks to '70s megahits like "Night Moves," "We've Got Tonight," and his signature song, "Old Time Rock & Roll," Seger remains a staple on classic-rock radio stations despite his lengthy absence.
Show reminiscent of legend's glory days After taking an 11-year break from touring, Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band made a triumphant return Tuesday at Bobcats Arena. Seger and his band, which began touring in the fall behind his latest release, "Face the Promise," delivered a rocking set that seemed to delight older, longtime fans as well as those only familiar with his hit singles. During "Old Time Rock & Roll," the crowd sang along with Seger: "Say I'm old fashioned/Say I'm over the hill That music ain't got the same soul." It was evident that Seger's signature song, which celebrated the music he grew up on, has become today's old-time rock 'n' roll. Although the lyrics weren't always audible over the band, Seger's gruff voice has held up well over 61 years. The 14-piece band, which included Seger, three female backup singers, and the Motor City Horns, kept things simple. The large band, light show, and boisterous crowd were reminiscent of '70s and '80s tours. The one modern perk fans weren't afforded were screens projecting the show across the venue. Seger kept the hits coming during the first half of the show, playing "Mainstreet," "Betty Lou's Gettin' Down Tonight," "We've Got Tonight," and "Turn the Page." He dedicated "Old Time Rock & Roll" to his brother George and his nephews Josh and Clark, who sat in the audience near the stage. The second half of the show featured a more eclectic set, which included Chuck Berry's "C'est la Vie," "Real Mean Bottle" (from "Face the Promise"), "Satisfied," and "Katmandu." "It's a good, quality show," said J. Dewar of Charlotte during the encore. "He's 61 years old. He's doing all he can." The band encored with "Night Moves," which began with crisp, acoustic guitar and the rocking "Hollywood Nights." The crowd, which nearly filled the arena, welcomed Seger back to the fold enthusiastically. With his tight band, one might wonder why he tours so infrequently. Maybe the monotony of the road so poignantly captured in "Turn the Page" explains it best. From the very first words of Roll Me Away you were taking back in time or maybe not back in time but you forgot about the world and stress thereof. 2.5 hours of straight ahead rock-n-roll. I've seen numerous country and rock concerts from Alan Jackson to Van Halen. Kiss has a heck of a light show. Bob Seger has no light show, just a dozen guys and gals on stage sweating out every note and emphazing it with a fist pump into the air.
Highlights:
As mentioned, this was my first Seger show. I hope it's not the only one but I know that is likely, at least based on how things are now. I'm 29 years old, and this was the culmination of something that I never thought would happen. I first found Segerfile and began posting on SegerNet back a couple of years ago when details about the new album and whether it would ever see the light of day were still unclear, and the general consensus seemed to be that Bob would never tour again. So, when Tuesday night finally rolled around, I was absolutely in awe. The level of energy at Cobo Hall back in 1975 could not have been any higher than it was at this show. There were surely some differences -- the hair is shaggy gray and white as opposed to flowing brown, there are glasses resting on his nose now, he can't hit many of the high notes anymore and wisely didn't try. I did notice a misplaced line or two in "Hollywood Nights," but the bottom line was that the man gave it his absolute all and ignited the crowd with energy that was certainly youthful, even if his body wasn't. Bob is the same age as my mother, but that is not an immediate comparison that I would have thought to draw at the show. Being among the younger generation of Seger fans that didn't get a chance to see the glory-day performances of the 70's and 80's, (and then one who was too ignorant and ill-informed to catch the '96 tour) I was grateful to have the opportunity to hear an early hit like "Ramblin' Gamblin' Man" played live. It would have been even better followed-up by "Heavy Music," but I digress… The general atmosphere of the show was a shared treasure of memories for most of the older folks, and something that the first-timers like me were extremely appreciative of. People in the crowd and standing in lines were commenting that they (like me) couldn't believe they were finally seeing Bob Seger live. One guy said that he hadn't been to a concert in 10 years, and that this was his Christmas present from his girlfriend. Teenagers danced in the aisles along with couples in their 50's who might as well still have been teenagers. A mother and daughter in the row below me smiled at each other and you could see their faces light up when Bob broke into "Against the Wind" during the 2nd encore. You could tell that was the one song they had been waiting all night to hear. Those kinds of things just have to make you smile. Most everyone in the house stood up for the entire show. It just seemed like every song was worthy of that, though I did have to ditch part of "No Matter Who You Are" for a bathroom break. I had vowed earlier not to have refreshments at the show so as to avoid that, but come on, a Seger show without just one beer? I couldn't resist.
Great show! I have to admit I was a bit skeptical about all these reports about how great Seger's voice sounded, because to me it hasn't sounded all that great on the cell phone videos floating around YOUTUBE. The good news is that it turns out that cell phones aren't great hi-fi devices. In person, he sounded great. I'm not sure how it happened, but his 61-year old voice sounded even better than his 51-year old voice from the '96 tour. The set list was pretty much the same as previous shows. No "Sightseeing". He called out someone in the audience ("the great Bill ???) when introducing "Tryin' To Live My Life Without You," and he made an aside "it's not 'The Long Run'" when the song started. I've read previously that he put out that song to show the similarities between it and 'The Long Run.' He called out Toby Keith - who was in the audience - on another song. His brother George was at the show and Bob spent a lot of time playing to that side of the stage.
Stirrings from Bob Seger Excerpts: ...The guy who bellowed the praises of "Old Time Rock and Roll" is making no concessions to fashion. His music retains the no-frills, blue-collar ethos it's always had. "That's my sensibility, it's just what I like," the 61-year-old Seger says over the phone from his Naples, Fla., vacation home. "I like big, heavy drums, blues-based electric guitar. I like acoustic guitar and acoustic piano, and I like that gospel kind of singing behind me that I've had since '72. I've got the same gals singing with me, and they're on tour, too." ...The seeds of his current tour were planted at his Hall of Fame induction. "My kids went and saw me, and they were 9 and 12 at the time, and they were all excited about it," Seger says. "They said, 'Dad, you ought to go on tour.' So I said, 'OK, I will.'" As rightfully proud as he is of Face the Promise, Seger understands what his fans want most, even in his own backyard. Back home in Michigan, he says, questions about the next tour always far outnumber questions about a new album.
Even 30 years ago, when he was a superstar in a world where rock-and-roll was a bigger cultural and commercial force, Bob Seger could sound like a man out of his time, a guy already feeling the weight of mortality. Think of "Night Moves" or "Against the Wind," two hits whose autumnal air is closer to country fatalism than rock swagger. Or, at the other extreme, the reactionary railing of "Old Time Rock and Roll" - "Today's music ain't got the same soul." Seger didn't write that last one, although he might as well have - it's hard to think of a rocker who better fits the song's sentiments. But by the time the 61-year-old Rock and Roll Hall of Famer and his Silver Bullet Band delivered the tune five songs into their scintillating show Thursday night at the far-from-sold-out Wachovia Spectrum, it was clear that while "old-fashioned" might apply, "relic" and "over-the-hill" did not. What came to mind foremost was the description he gave to the wheels he sang about in 1982's "Makin' Thunderbirds" - "classic, in a word." This is a musical vehicle that, for all the miles on it, has stood the test of time magnificently. Looking fit and energetic for his first tour in 10 years, the silver-haired Seger opened with "Roll Me Away," a mid-tempo song built on his basic sound of heavy rhythms, guitars, and graceful piano lines, with three female backup singers. Befitting his Michigan heritage, however, his rock also contains heavy doses of soul and R&B, and that immediately became apparent when he brought out a four-man brass section, the Motor City Horns, to augment Silver Bullet sax man Alto Reed. The horns reappeared periodically throughout the night, putting an extra charge into numbers like "Horizontal Bop" and "Katmandu." Seger included five songs from his strong new album, Face the Promise, but mostly he gave the fans what they wanted from his catalog of radio and concert favorites. The show moved along briskly - befitting his no-frills, working-class ethos, the band didn't indulge in any extended flashy solos. Rather it functioned as a finely tuned machine in the service of the songs, keeping the rockers hurtling along and providing spare atmospherics on the ballads. Seger's distinctive rasp, meanwhile, remains robust; it has taken on some deeper tones, but that has only made one of the great rock voices sound even better. It was fitting that the night would end with a song about the music. "Rock and Roll Never Forgets" is another tune about getting older ("Now sweet 16's turned 31..."). But with the rhythm section laying down that heavy beat, the guitarists firing off chunky riffs, the piano player pumping out a boogie woogie, the horn section driving, and the singers wailing - all threatening to blow the lid off the old arena - the music did what all the night's rockers did: rage, in a gloriously infectious and good-time fashion, against any dimming of the light. And isn't that what rock-and-roll is all about?
'Still the Same' Seger, Silver Bullet Band show they haven't lost anything An extended hiatus from the road doesn't seem to have affected Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band. The Detroit-bred rocker and his veteran unit played Philadelphia's Wachovia Spectrum Thursday and picked up right where they left off the last time they came through town more than 10 years ago, turning in a typically muscular, no-frills evening of good, old-fashioned, rafter-rattling rock 'n' roll. To be sure, Seger's flowing brown locks have morphed into a shorter gray mop. And, like so many of his generation, the always-husky singer-songwriter is thicker around the middle than remembered. But musically speaking, it was 1996 (and '86 and '76) inside the Spectrum, thanks to Seger's still powerful, masculine vocalizing and the sure-handed performance of his 13 supporting musicians and singers, some of whom have been with him for 30 years or more. Never a showman, Seger relied instead on the earnestness of his material and the crackerjack playing of his musicians, to turn mostly basic, major-chord rock songs into individual celebrations of determination and Heartland spirit. Seger and company ostensibly are touring in support of their most recent CD, Face the Promise, which was released last fall. The handful of songs from the disc included in Thursday's set all were rendered competently. The best was the rave-up "Real Mean Bottle" with drummer (and former Grand Funk Railroad beat-keeper) Don Brewer handling the vocals done by Kid Rock on the album. But make no mistake, it was the vintage material the fans came to hear. They were not disappointed. In a show with more than its fill of familiar melodies, none resonated more than the first-act reading of "Turn the Page," Seger's brooding meditation on the not-so-fun aspects of being a touring rock 'n' roller in less-enlightened times, when long hair was an invitation to verbal abuse or worse. Punctuated by the keening sax line of horn-player extraordinaire Alto Reed (get it?), "Turn the Page" was a shiver-inducing masterpiece and easily the show's emotional center. Close behind were two other pre-intermission signatures: an all-cylinders-firing "Travelin' Man," that segued seamlessly into a full-bodied "Beautiful Loser." Other strong moments included another atomic rocker, "Katmandu," a stomping version of the beloved party song "Old Time Rock 'n' Roll," and all four encores: "Night Moves," "Hollywood Nights," "Against the Wind" and "Rock 'n' Roll Never Forgets," which sent everybody home on a supercharged note.
The Philly show was great. The sound was pretty good, ( sometimes getting a good sound in the Spectrum is tough) and Bob's voice was right on. The band was solid and the crowd was treated to a real entertaining show. I believe it was the same set as in Charlotte, NC two nights previous. A couple of people had a little more of the hooch than they should have had, but that was only a very minor distraction. Steve Azur was a quality opening act. I had not heard him before, but I did enjoy his part also. It's hard to believe this man is 61 and still sounds so fresh. The backing singers with the horns rounded out an excellent show. There was a range of ages from kids, (I would say from around 10 or 11) to people in their 60's. I hope he decides to not let this be his last tour as I would like my 8 year old to catch him on his next one !!
The Wachovia Spectrum was ROCKING last night! Bob and the band were dancing around the entire show and really seemed to be enjoying themselves. The fans started off loud and just got more and more so during the show. I have attended many concerts at that venue since the 1970's, and though the crowd was not quite a sellout, it was louder than any I can recall there.
After A Quiet Decade As A Contented Family Man, Bob Seger Has A Hard-Driving New Album, Tou Bob Seger hadn't toured in a decade before he returned to the stage late last fall, but that doesn't mean he wasn't on the road. He traveled with a smaller retinue on those trips: His kids. "We went out West in a Chevy Trailblazer for 1,700 miles together. That was a great time," he says by phone from Naples, Fla., on a tour that stops Saturday at Mohegan Sun. "They went sailing with me. I went to my daughter's gymnastics. I was an assistant baseball coach." Fatherhood has been Seger's main gig for years, and though the veteran rock 'n' roller continued to write songs, last year's "Face the Promise" was his first new album since 1995. Eleven years is a long pause for a man who had released albums at a fairly steady clip since his 1968 debut, "Ramblin' Gamblin' Man." But Seger, 61, didn't become a father for the first time until he was 47, and he didn't want to underplay the role for his two children, now 14 and 11. "My father left home when I was 10, and maybe it was because of that, but I wanted to be there," he says. ..."I would record stuff, and I would play it for them, and they would like it, and they would say, `When are you going to put out an album?' And this went on for 10 years," Seger says with a throaty chuckle. Despite the growing volume of unreleased material, he didn't know what, if anything, he planned to do with it. "Frankly, I wasn't sure how serious I was about it anymore," he says. "I stayed home, and I liked being around them. I had never had a family before. It was a whole new thing for me." The balance tipped toward resuming his career when he was voted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004. Fellow Michigan native Kid Rock inducted Seger at the ceremony in New York, calling him "the most underrated singer/songwriter of our time." For Seger, the honor was something of a spark. "I said to myself, `They put me in the hall of fame, now you've got to get down, get dirty, put out a good record and get out there and tour and show that you deserved it,'" he says. Seger estimates he had written more than 50 "album-worthy" songs during his hiatus, a number he winnowed into 11 original tunes (and one cover) on "Face the Promise."
Mohegan - Saturday night was cold, maybe the first hard, brittle weekend night of the winter. So who better to greet a sold out crowd of 10,000 in the Mohegan Sun Arena than Bob Seger -- who for almost four decades has established himself as the Beef Stew of Rock. Indeed, it was a hearty, savory performance by the Detroit legend and his Silver Bullet Band, this edition of which swelled to as many as 14 players and singers over the course of a two-hour show. Seger, 61, has been absent from the scene for a while, serving as a husband and father as his kids grow up. The impetus for the tour was his new CD, "Face the Promise," a surprisingly resonant discourse written over the past several years, and which poetically reflect his thoughts on time, aging, and the rewards of staying true to oneself. Appropriately, Seger didn't try to lose 80 pounds or hire Mick Jagger's trainer to get in shape for the junket. He was dressed in a plain, baggy black T-shirt and jeans, wearing eyeglasses and a jogger's headband. And with his silver hair cut short, he looked like nothing so much as a goofy but popular high school history teacher who, on his way to karaoke night at the bowling alley, gets kidnapped and plopped implausibly on the biggest rock 'n' roll stages in the world. And decides to make the best of it. Fist-pumping and frequently working the stage without guitar or piano, Seger demonstrated all the textbook rock-dude moves, which came across as charming from such an old-timer until, in a dazzle of sudden awe, you remember he probably invented some of these (night) moves His voice is even deeper and raspier than ever -- if such a thing is possible -- and it seemed to tire towards the end of the night. No worries, though, Seger and his band effortlessly navigated a 25-song set list of old favorites and new material, and they seemed genuinely happy to be playing. If there are any complaints, the first, pre-intermission segment seemed to have more of his truly best songs, the ones that resonate with meaning rather than surface boogie. "Main Street," "We've Got Tonight," "Beautiful Loser," "Turn the Page" and the finest off the new CD, "Wreck This Heart," "Wait For Me" and the title cut," were all front-end loaded. It's a minor point, perhaps. The second half of the show did focus on high-energy rockers - "Ramblin' Gamblin' Man," Chuck Berry's "C'est La Vie," "Sunspot Baby" and the show-closer "Katmandu" - and it was clear the audience was rapturous however Bob dished out the stew. Two encores followed, including "Night Moves," "Hollywood Nights" and "Rock and Roll Never Forgets" and "Against the Wind." Kudos to Seger's longtime sax-man, Alto Reed, who, despite looking like one of those Beverly Hills salon owners, added his signature licks to much of the proceedings.
In recent years, there has been a vast cross-section of classic-rock artists leaving retirement for the open road. After an 11-year hiatus, Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band has joined that movement, but possess something many of the others don't: demand. On Saturday one of Detroit's finest rockers played a sold-out show at the 10,000-seat Mohegan Sun Arena on his tour supporting "Face the Promise," Seger's new album. Tickets were in such high demand that seats sold near $100 per at the box office, and in minutes only singles were left. But after the two-hour raucous, but at times tender, performance, nobody left with buyer's remorse. Especially since the spry, 61-year-old Seger showed surprisingly strong command of his band, his voice, the stage and the crowd. His fifth song in was the classic-rock classic "Old Time Rock 'n' Roll." And with that, open areas of the floor were banging with dancing feet. Not surprisingly, "Betty Lou's Going Out Tonight," "Sunspot Baby" and the "Traveling Man/Beautiful Loser" medley all had similar effects. But the stand-out moments of the show were not the upbeat rockers or golden-oldie boppers, but the earnest and sentimental ballads, on which Seger has built a strong reputation. With each power ballad, the house went black and a single, smoky spotlight hit Seger and his piano, proving highly effective for the darkly written "Turn the Page." Overexposure to any song can leave a person unresponsive to its original brilliance, especially if a certain unnamed heavy metal band ruined it. But a live version of this song, with its sunset lyrics, hollow bass platform and screeching saxophone interludes, cements it as a modern-day Western classic. And while on the topic of moving ballads, "We Got Tonight" had many people back at their senior prom, evident in the mass singalong, and in the number of couples slow-dancing on the floor. Seger squeezed in five songs from his new album, which unfortunately, but predictably, translated to "beer run" for much of the crowd.
What can I say? I was speechless and numb by the end of the concert. Speechless from singing along and cheering until my voice was hoarse and numb from clapping along and applauding!! Bob sounded great. The band and singers were in good form and seemed to be having a fun time. Bob looked so happy and appreciative of his audience. The same Seger I remember from his '86 and '96 tours when we saw him at the Hartford Civic Center. We had been hoping against hope to see him tour again. Then, when the tour was finally announced, our hopes were dashed each time a city was added and it appeared he would bypass our little state of Connecticut. Hartford was not on the list. Then came the announcements for the second leg of the tour. Finally, our dreams were to come true when Uncasville was added. It was well worth the decade of waiting. Bob strode out into the spotlight and started out the concert with a powerful rendition of "Roll Me Away", my all-time favorite Seger song. Ahhhhh, it just does not get any better than this! The set list seemed to follow the last few concerts. Our seats turned out to be darn good ones despite being "nosebleed" seats. They were near the stage and Bob kept coming over to the stage riser on our side of the stage (I believe that is what it is called) and pumping his fist, thrusting his microphone at the crowd to pick up our "singing", and even applauding his fans. Life is good! The Silver Bullet Band was finely tuned, including Alto Reed who was in his usual fine form, cavorting around the stage with his huge sax. Don Brewer, in particular, got big rounds of applause when he was introduced. I thought C'est La Vie went over particularly well, lots of noise from the crowd on that one. Lots of singing along with most of the songs. The band was really getting into it. I really enjoyed his songs from Face the Promise, great to hear them live: Wreck This Heart, Wait for Me, Face the Promise, Real Mean Bottle, and the duet, The Answer's In the Question. Don Brewer filled in for Kid Rock on Real Mean Bottle, and one of Bob's backup singers filled in for Patty Loveless on Answers in the Question. They performed the now usual 2 encores, Night Moves/Hollywood Nights and Against the Wind/Rock and Roll Never Forgets.
The show at Mohegan Sun Saturday night was fantastic. I saw Bob perform in the late 70's and again saw him twice in 1996. I think Saturday night he was even better than he was in 96. First of all it looks like he's lost about 30 pounds since the tour has begun. He looks great and has tons of energy. His voice is the same Seger voice we've always known and loved. The arena was packed and everyone was singing along to most of the old songs. I loved hearing the old stuff and the new stuff. Real Mean Bottle was great. The energy that Seger and the band has is incredible. Alto Reed put on quite the show as well. Sitting nearby was Chris "Boomer" Berman of ESPN and Seger dedicated Old Time Rock N Roll to him and his kids. As my husband and I are big Patriots fans and watch ESPN quite a bit, we went over to Boomer at intermission and he told us how him and Seger are old friends and he just loves his music. He had gone backstage with Seger before the show. Wish we could have!
In 2004, Bob Seger entered the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, along with artists like Prince and the late George Harrison. It was a great honor. It was also, as it turned out, a kick in the butt. "There was something inside of me that said, 'Now you've got to prove that you deserve it,'" says Seger, 61. At the time, Seger was inactive, artistically. Devoting himself to fatherhood, he hadn't released a collection of new material since 1995, or toured since 1996. But last fall, he re-emerged with a new album, "Face the Promise," and reassembled his longtime backing group, the Silver Bullet Band, for a tour that comes to Madison Square Garden on Thursday. "I started to do this because I felt a little sorry for the band," says Seger. "They had been sitting around for 10 years, waiting for me to tour. I said, 'Well, maybe I'll do 20 dates.' "But when I got out there, I saw how dedicated everybody was. And I added a horn section the last week of rehearsal, and that was a lot of fun. So I said, 'Let's keep going,' and we're going all the way to mid-March." He will definitely take the summer off, he says, but hasn't ruled out returning to the road in the fall. The concerts have showcased the "Face the Promise" material (see sidebar). But he has also sung everything from lighthearted rockers ("The Horizontal Bop," "Betty Lou's Gettin' Out Tonight") to emotionally rich ballads ("Night Moves," "Against the Wind"). He has pledged allegiance to his chosen art form ("Old Time Rock 'n' Roll," "Rock 'n' Roll Never Forgets") and returned to his bar-band roots with the ferocious "Ramblin' Gamblin' Man," and covers of hits by soul singer Otis Clay ("Tryin' To Live My Life Without You") and rock giant Chuck Berry ("You Never Can Tell"). Other notable songs have been conspiciously absent. Of "Like a Rock," which found new life via Chevy truck commercials, he says "I think that's been heard plenty." And he says that though he would like to include songs like 'You'll Accomp'ny Me" and "Still the Same," he just couldn't fit them into the set. It is easy to take Seger for granted. He has never been much of an innovator, or had a flamboyant personality. But he has produced a body of work that few can rival. Inducting him into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, fellow Michigan native Kid Rock called him "the most overlooked musician of our time ... Bob Seger is the voice of the working man and living proof of the American dream." Born in Detroit, and raised in Dearborn, Mich. and Ann Arbor, Mich., Seger spent several years as a local hero in Michigan before breaking through, in 1969, with his first hit, "Ramblin' Gamblin Man." Things slowed down again in the first half of the '70s, but he hit his stride with a hard-charging concert recording (1976's "'Live' Bullet"), followed by hit-filled, multiplatinum albums such as "Night Moves" (1976), "Stranger In Town" (1978) and Against the Wind" (198 |
