Rock and roll hasn’t forgotten Bob Seger

Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band

Thursday, May 5, 2011

Everything seems to go silent as Bob Seger, at this point behind the piano, utters that last line of the last verse of “Turn the Page”— You smoke the day’s last cigarette / Rememberin’ what she said. It’s a heartbreaker, and it’s one of the night’s many reminders of one reason that Bob Seger has long had a very singular connection with a widespread and diverse heartland fanbase. Without an ounce of pretense, his songs strike deep, unforgettable chords.

Several other things are notable about this performance, 18 songs into Thursday night’s 25-song set. First, as the Detroit rocker points out before launching into it, this song is 40 years old, written in 1971 in Oklahoma (presumably on the road), and Seger gives longtime saxophonist Alto Reed credit upfront for the searching horn part that makes it work. It’s also a song by a 26-year-old rocker already sounding road-weary, which no doubt accounts for Seger’s long absences from touring after his huge successes of the ’70s and ’80s.