The Michigan Daily-Thursday, December 7, 1978-Page 5

Bob Seger's no

strang
I'm making my way towards this
giant white muffin in the distance,
when, quite to my surprise, my right
foot slides forwvard, my left foot slides
backward, and I go crashing to the
ground. I curse, pick myself up from
the icy pavement, and stumble for-
ward.
I pass up a Stranger in Town t-shirt,
and make my way up the steps. I say a
polite, but firm "no" to a young man
passing out Gino Vannelli postcards,
but to my dismay, everyone around me
is singing "I just wanna stop.. ."
THE LAST TIME I was in Crisler
Arena was well over two years ago. An
aging rock'n'roll star from Michigan
was opening a fall concert tour in Ann
Story by
Mike Taylor
Photos by
Andy Freeberg
Arbor, and I had to be in on it. Two
months later, the tour came to an
abrupt end when fans decided they
preferred Jimmy Carter's brand of-
Southern rock to Jerry Ford's Grand
Rapids blues.
Michigan rock'n'roll returned to
Crisler Tuesday night-local boy Bob
Seger, no stranger in this town, was the
headliner and the Rockets, including
several members from Mitch Ryder's
defunct Detroit Wheels, opened.
Though not quite the party it should have
been, it was much more fun than a
boring old speech by Gerald Ford.
The Rockets, a six-man unit com-
posed of two guitarists, a drummer, a

rin A
bass player, a piano player, and a
singer, played 45 minutes of enter-
taining, though not memorable, rock.
The singer, with long, curly locks, an
open shirt, and tight leather pants that
split shortly into the performance, was
an unwitting parody of the classic
rocker, right down to his hackneyed,
cliche-ridden vocals. But he showed
some spunk, and he seemed eager to
please.
THE OTHER members of the band
fared rather better, especially the lead
guitartist, who played delightful,
though somewhat repetitive solos. The
material was solid rock'n'roll, with
some heavy metal leanings, but not
enough to ruin the experience. Oc-
casionally, they hit a good groove;
when that happened, they usually had
the good sense to keep it going a while.
When they left, I was kinda sad; I ad-
mired their dedication to rock'n'roll.
Half an hour alter, Bob Seger,
dressed in black with a white vest, hit
the stage with the Silver Bullet Band.
He was given the kind of welcome a
conquering hero returning home deser-
ves, complete with plenty of lit matches
and from-the-belly cheers. As he tore
into "Sunspot Baby," which was at on-
ce gutsy and daring, he seemed to be
saying "thank you."
Seger's band, which includes a
guitarist, a bass player, a drummer, a
piano player, and a saxophonist, stood
out right from the beginning. Everyone
moves around, and everyone seems to
be having fun. The saxophonist, Alto
Reed, snazzily garbed in silk pajamas,
a long scarf, and dark shades, was a
natural foil for Seger's earthiness. And
by the second song, "Rock'n'Roll Never
Forgets," when he was using his sax as
_a lead instrument, his musical
preeminence in the band was firmly
established.
SEGER WAS at his best when he
broke away from rigid song formats, as
he did during "Travelin' Man," "Ram-
See SEGER'S, Page6 ,