“Heavyweight” Seger KO’s Buffalo Fans

"A real blast from the past, this one."

1977; reviewed By Dale Anderson

In Detroit, Bob Seger is the heavyweight champion of rock ‘n’ roll, and he came to Memorial Auditorium Friday night to give a demonstration of the moves that knock them out in the Motor City.

Seger started with his best punch, “Rock ‘N’ Roll Never Forgets,” and within seconds the crowd of about 14,000 was delirious. Before they regained their balance, the Silver Bullet Band had counterpunched into “Travelin’ Man” and then “Beautiful Loser.”

The outcome was never in doubt – 90 minutes of the most spirited boogie the Aud has seen all year. Success may have made the Silver Bullet Band slicker (witness Alto Reed’s blue cape), but it hasn’t made them weaker.

The set ran in a kind of seamless succession. The first numbers reflected the ups and downs of Seger’s own musical odyssey – the road-weary “Turn the Page,” the survivor’s wink of “Still the Same,” the reverie of “Down on Main Street” fading into the righteous recall of “Old Time Rock and Roll,” with the two female backup singers giving the chorus an extra kick.

As for Seger, his long hair swung around his shoulders and he smiled a lot. His hands were a lesson in rock-song pantomime. Shedding his coat on his first trip back to play the piano, he did the rest of the show in a vest and a blue Eagles T-shirt.

The band was trim and snappy, with the flamboyant Reed making the most of his wireless horns while guitarist Drew Abbott and keyboardist Robyn Robbins laid down steamy solos.

The final rounds found Seger reaching back to a song he said he used to play here in the old Gilligan’s in 1967 – “Heavy Music,” which segued perfectly into another boisterous oldie, “Katmandu.” He saved a couple hits – “Night Moves” and “Hollywood Nights” – for the encore.

Opening was a Boston quintet called The Cars, which was the very picture of the new bands that are being touted as the stars of the ‘80s. Unfortunately, the group ran through its 40-minute set and encore while thousands were delayed at the doors of the Aud.

The Cars were like Cheap Trick without the slapstick. Lead singer and bassist Ben Orr had the blond good looks of Robin Zander. Leader and guitarist Ric Ocasek embodied the angular weirdness of Rick Nielsen.

Their best numbers – “Best Friend’s Girl” and “You’re All I’ve Got Tonight” – mated a trebly ‘60s beat with high harmonies and catchy choruses. An exception was their radio hit, “Just What I Needed,” where left-handed guitarist Elliot Shapiro gave a stripped-down takeoff on Boston’s Tom Scholz. Not a bad model. The Cars should be good for plenty of mileage.