At first glance you’d never know Bob Seger is 67 years old. The man has more energy and resilience than people half his age. It’s only after you listen to him sing a few minutes that you realize he IS 67, but might be singing better than ever. The man from Michigan filled the YUM! Center Thursday night with over 18,000 fans, who came to hear the classics.
Seger did have a cold and apologized for it, but managed to keep the crowd jumping. The set began with a few problems. Seger was saddled with a lousy sound mix for the first few moments. The bass was mixed way too high and he had some microphone glitches that were causing so much trouble he re-started one song. But, after he got that taken care of, Seger blasted through nearly every classic song from his long career. He encored with “Night Moves” and my favorite, “Against The Wind”. The latter sounding almost like a hymn to rock and roll as the refrain faded from the hall.
I said Seger may be singing better than ever, and I mean that. My concert companion remarked that his voice seemed fuller and richer than ever before. She told me she always thought his live stuff was great but he sounded somewhat shrill in the higher registers. None of that was evident last night. Obviously the cold was affecting him a bit, but Bob Seger has adjusted his vocals to his age and limitations. He’s sounding better than ever. Some say this tour might be his last, but if this show is any indication, Seger could go on for a long time to come.