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Apples in Stereo The
Holmes Brothers |
Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band 
I have to admit that dropping a little over $140 to go to this was a somewhat crazy but then again I had so much fun at Seger’s last arena show 10 years ago and was afraid of the feeling of regret that would wash over me the next time I heard “Roll Me Away.” So throwing caution into the wind I got reasonably decent seats and then had to wait six weeks for this thing to happen. Wifey and I had the 15-year old babysitting and I prepared by filling my flask and figuring that I’d sneak my portable camera in somehow. I had tried earlier in the week to get a photography pass so I could get some sweet picts up close and I might have succeeded if I had acted a little earlier. But it wasn’t in the cards. Parking the car in the nearby garage below where I work, we proceeded to take a few small hits from the 1-hitter, newly filled with some buds straight from Mom and her friends. It wasn’t until we got into Mellon Arena that we realized how incapacitate we had become. Whoever had grown this must have cultivated the stuff until they came up with a blend that made you forget whether you were standing or sitting. Lucky for us our seats were on the opposite end of the arena floor from the stage but just high enough that we were looking over everyone’s heads. It was almost like we were standing up by sitting down. As soon as we were seated, Bob and the band tore into “Roll Me Away.” So far so good. Bob’s looking a little old on stage but I guess that was to be expected. His energy level seemed high and he was smiling from ear to ear. A couple of songs later and another favorite, “Main Street.” Wifey and I were feeling good. So good that I basically sipped on my beer and wouldn’t touch the flask the whole concert. The show then went into a lull with “Old Time Rock and Roll,” not one of my favorites, followed by songs off the new album, and then “Betty Lou’s Getting Out Tonight.” Argh! The second set was somewhat lacking and I was questioning the amount I’d paid for this thing. Sorry but “Katmandu” blows. The crowd just didn’t seem that into it and although Bob, for an old man, had a surprising energy level on stage it just didn’t translate into the seats. Add in a “Horizontal Bop” and “Sunspot Baby” and I was questioning my judgment about this show. But redemption came at the end with “Night Moves”, “Hollywood Nights”, and “Against The Wind.” We had also worked our way onto the floor for a closer look and the folks down there we much livelier. One of the things about Seger for me is when I look at the Nine Tonight cover picture, and it’s a terrible picture, I imagine a show in the early 80’s with a bunch of rowdy 20 somethings rocking out to these songs on a Saturday night at the arena, smoking up, getting drunk, without a care in the world. Then after the show everybody gets on their motorbikes and hits the road. So obviously that’s unrealistic and Hugh has been to the show I’m talking about. I'm sure this wasn't his experience. Maybe sometimes it’s better to leave these things as daydreams and save my loot for the bands that people will be talking about 20 years for now. |