Want to know a secret about Bob Seger? He might just be one of the nicest guys in rock. Although Seger has been a household name since the 1976 release of his straight-to-the-top-of-the-charts albums “Live Bullet” and “Night Moves,” he sounds more like an enthusiastic newcomer than what some might assume would be a jaded musical veteran who released seven platinum albums in a row.
“I think it’s a lot of fun and there are a lot of acts I want to see,” said the Detroit-bred Seger when asked what keeps him touring and playing festivals. “I really enjoy being with the people that I play with.”
| ONSTAGE |
| Bob Seger |
| » When: 8 p.m. Friday |
| » Where: 1st Mariner Arena, 201 West Baltimore St., Baltimore |
| » Info: $43 to $97; 202-397-SEAT; ticketmaster.com |
Besides the stellar line up of musicians in Seger’s Silver Bullet Band, including Don Farmer, drummer for Grand Funk and writer of the anthem “We’re an American Band,” Seger also collaborates with other artists. Kid Rock, his best friend in the music business, tapped Seger to contribute to his album “Born Free” album and other projects.
Asked if the new album he plans to write in the first quarter of 2012 and release later in the year will include collaborations, he says they are a possibility. He declines to name possible guests, though.
“There are so many,” he says of those with whom he’d like to collaborate. “I wouldn’t know where to start. I have so many heroes in this business.”
The man whose personal idols include Leonard Cohen and Little Richard isn’t hesitant to pave new ground. That was one reason he told Rolling Stone magazine not too long ago that he wasn’t enthused about a Greatest Hits package.
“At the time I said that, I didn’t want to do it,” he said. “I was all fired up about a new record.”
Now, it seems, he’s more than embraced both and even talks about having his work available for download. He declined that option until recently, he said, because he felt the sound quality of his work would be poor on downloads. Now the technology seems to have fired him up even more.
“Those are some great albums and I’m glad to be in the same company,” said Seger, then talking about how to get more of his music including unrecorded songs from as far back as the ’60s, to his fans. “I have a lot of spare songs [I’ve written] down through the years I’d like to see [find] the light of day.”
