Bob Seger : All posts

with poll: Bob Seger a fan-pleaser at hit-filled EMU show

What did you think of the show? Take the poll and/or leave a comment at the end of this post.

Related coverage:

• Photos from Bob Seger at the EMU Convocation Center

• Set list from Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band in Ypsilanti

• Concert review: Bob Seger comes home for satisfying show

It was everything you’d expect a homecoming concert by rock icon Bob Seger, one of Ann Arbor’s native sons, to be: loud, at least semi-rowdy (Wednesday, after all, was a work night) and packed with the hits. Seriously, how can you follow up “Mainstreet” with “Old Time Rock and Roll” and not have the crowd go wild?

Seger, 66, who went from his Ann Arbor beginnings in the 1960s to rock royalty in the 1970s, chose the Eastern Michigan Convocation Center in Ypsilanti as the launching pad for the fall tour with his Silver Bullet Band. All in all, he sounded pretty darned good, an accomplishment in itself considering the Convo Center’s sometimes spotty acoustics.

More after the jump…

photo gallery: Images from Bob Seger concert at EMU

Related coverage:

• Bob Seger a fan pleaser at hit-filled EMU show

• Set list from Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band in Ypsilanti

Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band played a long-awaited show at Eastern Michigan University on Wednesday—Seger's first concert in decades in the area where he grew up.

Photographer Jeff Sainlar captured these images.

Additional seats released for Bob Seger concert at EMU

Related coverage:

• Q and A: Bob Seger reflects on growing up in Ann Arbor, looks forward to EMU show

• EMU Convocation Center continues development as vital concert venue

Concert promoter LiveNation has announced the release of some additional seats for the Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band concert at the Eastern Michigan University Convocation Center on Wednesday.

More after the jump…

opinion

With Bob Seger playing EMU, a look back at a dozen favorite tracks

Related coverage:

• Q and A: Bob Seger reflects on growing up in Ann Arbor, looks forward to EMU show

• EMU Convocation Center continues development as vital concert venue

Bob Seger's recorded legacy is long and vast, stretching from the mid-1960s into the current decade.

Seger, who grew up in Ann Arbor, makes his long-awaited concert return to Washtenaw County on Wednesday with a show at the EMU Convocation Center. In honor of the occasion, here's a brief look back at a dozen critical Bob Seger tracks. These aren't necessarily the "best" or even most important, but some personal favorites and watershed moments in a pretty amazing career—one that went from Ann Arbor High School to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

These are my picks; yours are bound to be different. I'd love to hear what they are, so please leave a comment below.

1. "2 + 2 = ?," 1968: "East Side Story" may be a sentimental favorite; "Heavy Music" and "Ramblin' Gamblin' Man" probably had more long-range impact. But for me, the early single to remember is this one—Bob Seger, protest singer. This furious anti-war rant still holds up today.

More after the jump…

Q and A: Bob Seger reflects on growing up in Ann Arbor, looks forward to concert at EMU

Note: Story has been updated to remove an inaccurate reference.

Bob Seger, who went from his Ann Arbor roots in the 1960s to international fame as a rock star in the '70s and beyond, returns to his home area Wednesday for a concert at the Eastern Michigan University Convocation Center.

It's been decades since Seger last performed in Washtenaw County, so anticipation is running high for the EMU show. The singer, songwriter, musician and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee recently spoke on the phone to AnnArbor.com — covering everything from his teen hangouts to the appeal of life in Michigan to the digital release of his back catalog.

Q. If you don’t mind, I’d like to start off by asking about your time in Ann Arbor. I’ve seen different birth places listed for you …

A. I was born in Detroit, at Henry Ford Hospital … I’m kind of proud of this fact, that my son was born in Detroit too … We’re both Detroit kids.

Q. And you moved to Ann Arbor around age 5?

A. Yeah, around age 4 or 5, and we lived on Packard … a couple blocks down from the Blue Front. We used to go there all the time, my brother and I … At one time there was a grocery store there where my mom and I would go, and my dad … Ralph’s, I think it was called, but it’s not the Ralph’s chain. …

More after the jump…

EMU Convocation Center ready to host Bob Seger, continuing its development as vital concert venue

NOTE: Come back to AnnArbor.com tomorrow for an interview with Bob Seger, covering his time growing up in Ann Arbor; plans for the EMU concert; his catalog coming to iTunes; and more.

The Eastern Michigan University Convocation Center hosts an especially noteworthy event on Wednesday: The long-awaited concert return of Bob Seger to Washtenaw County.

Seger, who grew up and started his career in Ann Arbor, hasn’t performed in this immediate area in many years, heightening the anticipation for the EMU show.

But the Seger concert is just the latest in a substantial string of high-profile entertainment happenings at the Convocation Center, which also serves as the home of EMU basketball and hosts a wide range of other events. A combination of factors—including a fairly new, regularly updated facility; a dedicated staff; and aggressive pursuit of big names has turned the Convocation Center into one of the county’s top concert venues.

More after the jump…

Ticket price announced for Bob Seger's EMU concert

Note: this story has been updated.

Concert promoter LiveNation today announced the ticket price for the upcoming Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band Nov. 2 appearance at Eastern Michigan University: $73 for all seats. Service charges are additional.

LiveNation also announced an opening act, Frankie Ballard, and a start time, 7:30 p.m.

Tickets go on sale to the general public at 10 a.m. Saturday, although a presale for members of Seger's fan club starts at 10 a.m. Thursday. Fan club details are on Seger's website.

More after the jump…

detroit free press: Bob Seger music coming to iTunes; free 6-song EP available today

Brian McCollum of the Detroit Free Press reports today that Bob Seger, one of the last remaining holdouts in the conversion to digital music distribution, is bringing his recordings to iTunes.

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with poll: Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band to play EMU Convocation Center

Well, it might not be quite the Ann Arbor homecoming gig fans have dreamed of, but it's darn close: Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band will play the Eastern Michigan University Convocation Center in Ypsilanti on Nov. 2.

Just announced by concert promoter LiveNation, the date is part of a fall tour. Tickets, at prices to be announced, go on sale Sept. 24. Tickets will be available via emutix.com.

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Bob Seger to re-release classic live albums, each with a bonus track

Bob Seger plans to re-release both his landmark concert albums, "Live Bullet" and "Nine Tonight," digitally remastered and each featuring a new track, according to an announcement on Seger's mailing list today.

Each album will add a bonus track: "Live Bullet" will now include the blues classic “I Feel Like Breaking Up Somebody's Home,” recorded at Seger’s sold-out first stadium show at the Pontiac Silverdome. "Nine Tonight" will add a concert version of Seger's “Brave Strangers.”

More after the jump…

Former Ann Arborite's novel 'Wire to Wire' weaves in strands of Michigan train hopping and Bob Seger tunes

Northern Michigan plays an important role in “Wire to Wire,” the debut novel by Scott Sparling. The book centers on a former train hopper who tries to patch up his life by returning to the fictional town of Wolverine, Mich. The author notes that there really is a Wolverine, Mich., but they are the same in name only.

Although he now lives in Oregon, Sparling grew up in Jackson and returns nearly every summer to spend time in northern towns such as Frankfort. In the 1970s, he lived in Ann Arbor, where he and friends spent time seeing Bob Seger play at local clubs.

Sparling said that even back then he knew “someday the whole world is going to be listening to this.”

Those early days helped Sparling when he needed to take time off from writing “Wire”: He created SegerFile.com, a leading Seger fan site. In the days before Google and Facebook, SegerFile was one of the few places for information on the musician.

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Bob Seger draws strong reviews for first Palace show

Ann Arbor favorite son Bob Seger, an icon of 1970s rock, appeared at the Palace of Auburn Hills on Tuesday — the first of three Palace dates on the last leg of his highly anticipated spring tour.

The lifelong Michigander, who was raised and began his music career in Ann Arbor, has been drawing generally positive reviews throughout this tour, which could be his last — though some dates this fall remain a possibility.

Here are some reactions to last night's show — and add your own by commenting or voting in the poll below:

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poll: What's Bob Seger's best album?

As excitement builds over three Bob Seger concerts this week at the Palace of Auburn Hills, it seems like a good time to reflect on the Ann Arbor-bred rocker's impressive recorded catalog.

Vote in the poll below, and add your reasons in a comment. (Note that we're purists around here; the two "Greatest Hits" compilations don't count.)

More after the jump…