March 17th, 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.
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