11/07/06 - Bob Seger lives and breathes Michigan. His Motown-soulful, heartland rock oozes blue-collar sentiment and a
plain-speaking Midwest attitude, from the factory-worker anthem "Feel Like a Number" to his latest tender ballad about aging, "The Long Goodbye."
Despite selling 50 million albums, earning global acclaim as a scintillating live act and landing in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, he has never moved out
of his native state.
Instead, he has become a fixture at Detroit Pistons games, attends his kids' school sporting events and continues to write and record tunes in his home
studio in Oakland County. And, oh yeah, Michigan loves him back like no other rocker the Great Lakes State has produced. For months, local media outlets
have buzzed about his first album and tour in more than a decade, and his upcoming shows in Van Andel Arena sold out in less than 20 minutes,
setting a record. "I just think I've built up so much good will in my 40 years of playing. Locally, we had a bunch of singles that were really good,
and then 'Ramblin' Gamblin' Man' made national noise in 1968," Seger said f during a recent break in rehearsals. "I guess I've built up so much good
will by living here, staying here and trying to do really good shows. The good will has just paid off."
So, Seger returned the favor to his loyal West Michigan fans by scheduling the launch of this much-anticipated tour in Grand Rapids -- his first-ever shows
in Van Andel Arena, which worked for years to land the popular singer. "I heard about that arena from my buddy in the Eagles (Glenn Frey)," Seger
said. "And Tom Petty's played it, and they both told me they really liked it. I filed that in the back of my head. That's why we're there."
Another selling point? The arena, which also will host pretour rehearsals starting Monday, is within a couple of hours' drive of the Detroit area.
"We always started in the Carolinas, where we're huge," Seger said. "This time, we were going to do the same thing, but I said I know about this arena in
Grand Rapids. I said to (manager) Punch (Andrews), 'Wouldn't you much prefer to drive home after the show? Think about it. That's pretty convenient, buddy.'"
And, Seger pointed out, "It's home, and it's kind of cool." Home obviously means a lot to this 61-year-old Michigan rock icon, so much so he took a
decade off from touring to spend more time with his children, Cole, 14, and Samantha, 11. Indeed, the title track from his new album, "Face the Promise,"
was written with his kids in mind -- the younger generation facing "the promise of the promised land" and what lies ahead.
"I became a parent at age 47, and you start thinking about your kids' future," he said of the song he wrote about eight years ago. "We think about
what kind of world we're going to leave them. ... What's the future going to be like?" Even with national TV appearances to promote his surprisingly
hard-rocking new CD, Seger has taken time out to be a dad: He appeared on a recent "CBS Morning Show" segment only after assurances he'd be back on time
for Cole's cross-country meet. "I try to build everything around them," he said. "That's the way it's been." Ironically, the same thing that kept Seger
off the road for years helped convince him it was time to go back on tour. "I think I got the most pressure from the kids. The last time I toured, I
think they were 3 and 1, and they don't remember it at all. They really want to see it, and they've come into the studio and said, 'I'd love to hear you
play it live.'"
They're excited about the tour, but not as excited as Seger and his Silver Bullet Band, including longtime members Alto Reed (saxophone), Craig Frost
(keyboards) and Chris Campbell (bass). Backing vocalists Laura Creamer, Shaun Murphy and Barbara Payton, Grand Funk Railroad drummer Don Brewer, guitarist
Mark Chatfield and percussionist Jim Brown fill out the group. "We're having a great time," said Seger, noting the band rehearsed five or six days a week
for six weeks to prepare for the tour and develop a set list of new tunes and old favorites. "I don't know if people expected the album to be as rocky as it
is, and the show will be very similar. We're going to work some of the new stuff in, and I think it really works well live. We'll give 'em stuff that they'll
be unhappy if they don't get, like 'Turn the Page' and 'Old Time Rock and Roll.' It'll be a nice mix." And will Kid Rock -- who performs a duet with Seger,
"Real Mean Bottle," on his new album -- make an appearance in Grand Rapids? Although the band has the song "worked up and ready for him," Seger said as of
late October, he hadn't heard final word about possible guest spots on the tour.
The thrill of performing again hasn't erased all of Seger's worries about protecting his voice amid the rigors of playing huge arenas after a 10-year
layoff. That's why Seger's initial touring schedule -- 18 concerts through Dec. 20 -- includes no shows on consecutive dates. "The first show is always
a shock to me, physically. No matter how much you do it, nothing prepares you for being on stage and doing two hours-plus," he said. "Suddenly, you're
battling to hear your voice over the crowd and over the acoustics of the arena and the band slapping back at you and everything else. After that first show,
you're so tired you think you're just going to collapse. "There's a point in my voice that everyone likes that's kind of high, so it is kind of hard on
my voice. Especially the rockers are very, very taxing. It's very physically demanding, and I've found that (playing every other day) works out good."
For that reason, the Seger camp has held off finalizing U.S. tour dates for January and beyond. They'll decide after the Nov. 12 concert whether to announce
a second, longer tour leg for 2007. Seger's homegrown fans are guaranteed a good, hard look at him and the Silver Bullet Band: At least four tour dates on
the first leg will be in Michigan, where it all began with high school dances and bar gigs 40 years ago and where his oldest, most devoted supporters still
carry the torch for their hero. "So many times I get these young people coming up to get autographs for their parents," Seger said, letting out one of his
trademark, robust laughs before reiterating how much he still appreciates his star-studded career. "It's great. I love going to work every day."
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