66-year-old musician rocks Chicago’s Allstate Arena
Walking on stage with a gray beard and hair, glasses, jeans and a Harley-Davidson t-shirt, it looked like one of the many Seger concertgoers got lost on his way to the beer line, until the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer’s raspy voice started with, “Roll Me Away,” to which a full Allstate Arena crowd replied with cheers on Saturday night, May 14.
Seger went straight into “Tryin’ to Live My Life Without You,” which featured the four member Motor City Horns section, adding a nice brass component to this R&B tune, before going into “Fire Down Below” before stopping to acknowledge the crowd with, “Chicago, it’s been a while.” After wiping his face and putting on a headband, he belted out more of his greatest hits, some deep cuts and a new single, “Downtown Train.”
“Maybe you’ve heard this on the radio or who knows these days,” Seger joked as he introduced the song, which is a Tom Waits cover that Seger originally recorded in 1989 but held off releasing it after Rod Stewart beat him to the punch. Stewart’s version, also released in 1989, made it to number three on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Seger finally released his version in February this year.
Accompanied by his 13 member Silver Bullet Band, Seger rocked the house for over two hours. Aside from swapping headbands every few songs, the only costume change was when the rocker went from his Harley t-shirt to a black sleeveless shirt, which was understandable as he was all over the stage, enthusiastically pumping his fists and punching into the air along with the beat of the songs. Intermission lasted six minutes, which isn’t bad for someone who recently turned 66.
The veteran rocker also has not toured in over four years. That coupled with rumors of this being his last tour ever, fans of all ages, most of whom were probably in Seger’s same age demographic, sang along with every song. Saturday’s “peak moment” for the crowd began when the blue spotlight was on Alto Reed, 40 year member of the Silver Bullet Band, and he played the famous saxophone solo at the beginning of “Turn the Page,” a Seger song that is on heavy rotation at just about any classic rock station. Cheers from the crowd over-powered the first few notes but toned down in time for Seger to start singing, as he was seated at the grand piano. He also broke out his acoustic guitar for a few numbers, but for the most part he stuck to making his rounds on the stage and working the crowd.
A personal favorite of the evening was the performance of a song Seger referred to as, “one we haven’t done in a while, see if you recognize it,” referring to “Her Strut” from the Against the Wind album-a song that was supposedly inspired by Jane Fonda.
Mix a legend like Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band with a set list of timeless classics and theatrics aren’t required for a great show. There weren’t any big video screens, pyrotechnics, runways or elaborate costumes. It was just a singer, with an awesome band, who specializes in making rock and roll for the Midwest. After two encores, Seger could have easily spent another hour performing more hits, but he chose to leave the crowd wanting more. If Saturday night’s show, 20 of a 26-stop tour, was Seger’s last performance in Chicago, he left the windy city on a good note, which ironically enough was that of “Rock and Roll Never Forgets.”
Set list: Roll Me Away, Tryin’ to Live My Life Without You, Fire Down Below, Mainstreet, Downtown Train, Old Time Rock and Roll, Ramblin’ Gamblin’ Man, Real at the Time, Good for Me, Shinin’ Brightly, Travelin’ Man, Beautiful Loser, Nutbush City Limits, Come to Poppa, Her Strut, Long Twin Silver Line, We’ve Got Tonight, Turn the Page, Sunspot Baby, Horizontal Bop, Katmandu, Against the Wind, Hollywood Nights, Night Moves and Rock and Roll Never Forgets.
