Sept. 16, 1978 review: Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band in the Aud; plus The Cars

 

One of those nights that turns up on a lot of those Greatest Shows at the Aud lists:

Sept. 16, 1978 

“Heavyweight” Seger KO’s Buffalo Fans

        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 kind of a seamless succession. The first numbers reflected the ups and downs of Seger’s own musical odyssey – the roadweary “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 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 keyboardman 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 save 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 still 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 That 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 Elliott Shapiro gave a stripped-down take-off on Boston’s Tom Scholz. Not a bad model. The Cars ought to be good for plenty of mileage.

* * * * *

IN THE PHOTOS: Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band in undated publicity photo. The Cars in a 1978 publicity shot.

* * * * *

FOOTNOTE: Bob Seger wasn't at his peak yet, but he was getting close. His "Stranger in Town" album, released in May 1978, already had gone platinum. He'd finally hit No. 1 with "Against the Wind" in 1980. One of the best-selling artists of all time, unaccountably most of his pre-Silver Bullet Band albums are no longer available. He became a Rock and Roll Hall of Famer in 2004. He's no longer touring – he retired after the last date of his "Travelin' Man" tour on Nov. 1, 2019 – but he performed a song in 2023 at the Country Music Hall of Fame induction ceremonies.

Setlist.fm only lists five songs from the Buffalo date, but has a fairly complete list from two nights earlier in the Rochester War Memorial.

Rock and Roll Never Forgets

(unknown)

Travelin' Man

Katmandu

Heavy Music

Ramblin' Gamblin' Man

Let It Rock (Chuck Berry cover)

Beautiful Loser

Turn the Page

Nutbush City Limits (Ike & Tina Turner cover)

Main Street

Hollywood Nights

Feel Like a Number

Still the Same

(unknown)

(encore)

Night Moves and two unknowns

The Cars started their big takeoff in 1978. Their debut album sold six million copies and they went on to have more Top 10 hit singles than Seger did. They disbanded in 1988, reunited briefly in 2010-11 and came back together for a short set when they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2018. Bassist Ben Orr died in 2000. Singer Ric Ocasek left us in 2019.

Here's what setlist.fm has for the Cars that night:

Good Times Roll

Night Spots

Bye Bye Love

My Best Friend's Girl

Moving in Stereo

I'm in Touch with Your World

Don't Cha Stop

Since I Held You

Just What I Needed

(encore)

You're All I've Got Tonight