Lots of vocal artists and groups have scheduled “final tours” only to return to the road a year or two later. Bob Seger says his current “Travelin Man” tour will be his last. Seger is 73 years old and canceled part of his last tour with health issues. Given his past history of walking away from the road for extended periods, it’s likely this is the finale of a tremendous career.
The Travelin Man’ Tour’s original itinerary listed 27 dates. Kicking off with a November 21, 2018 opener at Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids. Additional dates have been added including last night’s show at the Dow Event Center in Saginaw.
Packed House
Seger and his Silver Bullet Band hit the stage at 8:45 and played non-stop until 10:15 pm. The packed house roared their approval as hit after hit filled the arena that seats just over 7,500.
The band opened with “Long Twin Silver Line” from the 1980 “Against the Wind” album. Just prior to concluding the show, Seger sat at the piano to perform a cover of Bob Dylan’s “Forever Young.” Seger’s iconic raspy voice delivered the lyrics perfectly. Photographs of many of his contemporaries, now deceased, flashed on the large video screen behind the stage. Images of Tom Petty, Aretha Franklin, Glenn Frey, and others drew bursts of appreciative applause from the crowd. Seger dedicated the song to his good friend Frey, with whom he collaborated on a number of projects.
“Ramblin’ Gamblin’ Man,” one of Seger’s first hits, ended the show. The first encore featured “Against the Wind” and “Hollywood Nights.” The second encore ended the evening with “Night Moves” and “Rock and Roll Never Forgets.”
There’s Still Time to Catch a Show
The voice is still as strong as ever, maybe even improved with age. The band was awesome. Alto Reed’s saxophone is still a show highlight whenever he takes center stage. If you want to catch a date on the final tour there as still some venues within easy reach of our area.
Tomorrow night Seger and the band return to Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids. The show is sold out. But, Stub Hub offers some seats at close to retail prices. The Huntington Center in Toledo, Ohio host the tour on January 9, 2019, and tickets remain available.
No announcement on dates for Detroit. One would think that would certainly be a tour-ending stop. Don’t let this last opportunity to see a local boy turned international superstar slip away. Remaining tour dates are listed below.
The Travelin’ Man Tour, Bob Seger, and the Silver Bullet Band
01/09 – Toledo, OH @ Huntington Center
01/11 – Nashville, TN @ Bridgestone Arena
01/15 – Fort Wayne, IN @ Allen County War Memorial Coliseum
01/17 – Buffalo, NY @ KeyBank Center
01/19 – Columbus, OH @ Nationwide Arena
01/22 – Peoria, IL @ Peoria Civic Center
01/29 – Billings, MT @ Rimrock Auto Arena
01/31 – Boise, ID @ Ford Center
02/02 – Portland, OR @ Moda Center
02/09 – Seattle, WA @ Tacoma Dome
02/15 – Phoenix, AZ @ Talking Stick Resort
02/17 – Denver, CO @ Pepsi Center
02/23 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Forum
03/07 – Austin, TX @ Frank Erwin
03/09 – Dallas, TX @ Ford Center at The Star
05/02 – Houston, TX @ Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band Set List January 3, 2019
Long Twin Silver Line
Still the Same
The Fire Down Below
Mainstreet
Old Time Rock & Roll
No Man’s Land (first time ever performed live)
Shame on the Moon
Roll Me Away
Come to Poppa
Her Strut
Like a Rock
You’ll Accomp’ny Me
We’ve Got Tonight
Travelin’ Man
Beautiful Loser
Turn the Page
Forever Young (Bob Dylan cover)
Ramblin’ Gamblin’ Man
Encore:
Against the Wind
Hollywood Nights
Encore 2:
Night Moves
Rock and Roll Never Forgets
