11/09/06 - "The Moment" may have come at the outset Wednesday night, with Bob Seger's fist-pumping start to "Roll Me Away" and those explosive
first chords at Van Andel Arena, greeted by tumultuous cheers from the faithful. Maybe it came when Seger strapped on an acoustic guitar for the
first time to play "Mainstreet" about 15 minutes into the show, prompting the first wave of swaying lighters and glowing cell phones amid the sellout
crowd of 12,000-plus. Or perhaps it came late in the evening when Seger's Silver Bullet Band, complete with a four-piece horn section, delivered two
bracing encores highlighted by "Hollywood Nights" and, probably the night's most appropriately titled tune, "Rock and Roll Never Forgets."
Whenever the defining moment actually transpired -- and maybe only Seger himself knows for sure -- it was the first such rock moment that Michigan has
experienced in more than 10 years. And as nervous as Seger and band might have been taking the stage for their first concert since a June 1996 appearance
at what's now DTE Energy Music Theatre outside Detroit, his rock 'n' roll fans certainly didn't let him forget that he has a special place in their hearts,
blemishes and all. "It's great to be back," he bellowed appreciatively before the second song. The bespectacled Seger, at 61 considerably grayer and more
concerned about his vocal "firepower" than he was a decade ago, masterfully reconnected with his beloved audience at his tour-opener by displaying his
unpretentious, down-to-earth self, from the plain black T-shirt and jeans he wore to his lovable exuberance on "Betty Lou's Getting Out Tonight" and
"Beautiful Loser." "I like the way he worked the crowd," keyboard player Craig Frost marveled after the show, which often had Seger singing, clapping
and grinning at fans -- including his wife, Nita, and children, Cole, 14, and Samantha, 11 -- from risers flanking the stage.
"Triumphant return" doesn't even begin to describe the reaction to Seger's first-ever concert at Van Andel Arena. On this evening, the audience --
filled with a decade of pent-up adoration -- was more than willing to forgive some hoarseness of voice, some settling for lower notes than usual,
some troubling feedback on several songs that could be attributed to opening-night glitches for a band featuring more than a dozen musicians and singers.
"Oh, I sure am 61," a sweaty and tired Seger quipped before his first encore. Fans didn't seem to notice. "I thought he sounded really good," raved Debbie
Jones, 50, of Lowell. "I was very impressed."
Impressive, too, was the sheer length of the show that Seger and his band had rehearsed dutifully for more than five weeks: more than two dozen songs covering
well over two hours, with a mix of old classics such as "Turn the Page" and "Night Moves" and new rockers from his latest album, "Face the Promise." They
did it from a simple, clean and tastefully designed stage with a stylish backdrop and light rigging that shifted into various formations all night.
The full horn section and one of the best female backing units in the business helped emphasize Seger's soulful, R&B side. And Frost, longtime
Silver Bullet saxophone player Alto Reed, guitarist Mark Chatfield and drummer Don Brewer (of Grand Funk Railroad fame) kept things crisp and the energy level
high even when the set list dragged a tad with four straight new tunes at one point and at the end of a semi-acoustic segment.
"That's the great unknown to see how it flows," Seger had said of the set list during an October interview. And that's also the sort of thing that could
get tweaked and adjusted as the tour progresses through 19 shows the rest of the year, including Sunday's return to Van Andel Arena. But for a family guy
many figured had long ago retired from the rock 'n' roll life until he released "Face the Promise" in September, Wednesday night wasn't
about what could have been better. It was about welcoming back one of Michigan's blue-collar rock heroes, about giving Grand Rapids a rare opportunity
to revel in Seger's enduring music and all those special moments he creates. On 1976's "Live Bullet" album, Seger famously glorified Detroit concertgoers.
But for one night anyway, a Grand Rapids audience was the best rock 'n' roll audience in the world.
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Reviews from 11/08/2006
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