DETROIT (CelebrityAccess) Detroit native Bob Seger stepped off of the stage at DTE Energy Music Theatre June 21, nearly 50 years he first took that stage when it was callled Pine Knob Music Theatre, wrapping up 33 concerts at the venue and the last time he is expected to play near his hometown.
The retiring rocker wrapped up a sold-out six-show stand with an energetic show on a “pleasant summer-solstice evening,” according to USA Today music critic Brian McCollum. It included a traditional pre-gaming in the parking lots filled with Seger fans playing his songs.
“With a couple of key exceptions, Friday’s set list was pretty much like other shows on this continuing farewell tour with the Silver Bullet Band,” McCollum said.
“But the magnitude of the moment — Bob’s last night at Pine Knob! — wasn’t lost on the longtime fans or Seger himself,” he added, “and it seemed to give everything an extra emotional lift: ‘Roll Me Away’ felt just a bit more soaring, ‘Come to Poppa’ a little more sinewy-soulful, the crowd singalong on “Turn the Page” that much more robust.”
The 15,000 fans included U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow and astronaut Drew Feustel. Feustel commanded the International Space Station last year and motivated a rare performance of “Fine Memory” from the 1974 album Beautiful Loser. The Lake Orion-raised astronaut used the song for launching.
“Fan enthusiasm included a uniquely raucous ovation after ‘Turn the Page.’” McCollum said. “The applause went on and on and on, and it seemed directed at something more than the five-minute song concertgoers had just witnessed. It was like a big, roaring thank-you for the whole Seger thing — for the decades of music, the fun times, the deep moments, the intimate connections, the shared escapes.”
Bob Seger leaves the old Pine Knob stage one last time, as he finishes up at @DTEEnergyMusic Friday night for a very adoring audience. pic.twitter.com/e735mp4VrQ
— Freep Entertainment (@FreepEnt) June 22, 2019
h/t USA Today
