Seger replicates his ever-present radio presence

One day after reaching his 66th birthday, Bob Seger played Conseco Fieldhouse on Saturday, May 7. (Credit: Doug McSchooler / Metromix)

Bob Seger at Conseco Fieldhouse

While Bob Seger unfurled plenty of hit songs Saturday night at Conseco Fieldhouse, the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer didn't coast by as a human jukebox.

His songs, after all, are with us every day. Classic-rock radio saturates Seger to the point of derision. "Night Moves," "Against the Wind" and "Old Time Rock & Roll" haven't left heavy rotation since the Carter administration.

So credit Seger, the Detroit native who celebrated his 66th birthday on Friday, for mixing in some curveballs for an estimated audience of 13,000.

His current single, "Downtown Train," and a rendition of Vince Gill's "Real Mean Bottle" are two things you can't hear on iconic concert recordings "Live Bullet" (1976) and "Nine Tonight" (1981). 

It's difficult to glean, however, what Seger's "Downtown Train" adds to famed versions by the song's writer, Tom Waits, and hit-maker Rod Stewart. "Real Mean Bottle" is a sturdy tribute to Merle Haggard, but not overly meaningful in the context of the Silver Bullet Band's heartland rock and soul.

These slight missteps only heightened the impact of tunes from Seger's glory days. His blazing run through the last half of the 1970s into the early '80s continues to smolder.

"Good For Me" and "Shinin' Brightly," two minor tracks on 1980's "Against the Wind" album, emerged as surprise highlights of the show. Both songs celebrate relationships that work, consequently playing against Seger's catalog of restless, on-the-run anthems.

The road, without question, is Seger's thematic sweet spot. The pairing of "Good for Me" and "Shinin' Brightly" gave way to an epic coupling of "Travelin' Man" and "Beautiful Loser" -- just as they appear on "Live Bullet."

Don Brewer's drum beats fired as pistons during "Travelin' Man," accented by an overdrive duel of Alto Reed's saxophone and Mark Chatfield's guitar.

Seger, sounding stronger than he did during a 2006 visit to Indianapolis, belted more than 20 songs with sincere grit -- remarkably similar to what's heard a dozen times a day on your radio.

Seger punched both arms toward the ceiling when he wanted the audience to sing a chorus ("Roll Me Away" and "Fire Down Below" were early examples), and he used the same gesture to emphasize instrumental passages.

Reed starred on sax throughout, piercing the night during a stripped-down "Mainstreet" as well as during a fired-up "Old Time Rock & Roll."

Reed mostly wielded a massive bass saxophone, making him easy to see from the balcony. 

The show offered no video-screen enhancements -- a rarity for an arena tour -- and relied on its lighting rigs to accentuate the mood.

Reds bathed the musicians more than any other color, providing a visual echo to cover art for "Live Bullet" and "Nine Tonight." 

White spotlights conveyed the biggest emotional wallop, though. During exhilarating show-opener "Roll Me Away," white beams cycled from the stage to the rafters in tandem with Seger's lyrical message: "My soul began to rise."