Hitting the Road, Like a Rocker

Bob Seger put on such lively, invigorating concerts in the ‘70s and ‘80s with the Silver Bullet Band that it was hard to imagine him not being on stage. But it has been nine years now since he last hit the road with his spirited yet thoughtful, good-time American rock ‘n’ roll.

On the eve of a new tour that begins Friday in Charleston, S.C., and includes an April 22 date at the Forum, the Michigan-based Seger spoke about the layoff and about his position as one of the few major rock stars to allow his music to be used in TV commercials.

Those commercials have fueled one of the most successful and longest-lasting campaigns in automobile advertising.

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Question: Lots of artists have come out strongly against commercializing their songs, but you seem proud of the association between “Like a Rock” and Chevy trucks. True?

Answer: I wouldn’t say I’m proud of it. I’m right in the middle. I swore I’d never do a commercial, but I’m not ashamed of it. If you look at the numbers, we’ve really helped a lot of people in this area keep jobs [as a result of increased truck sales. And I like the song. That song really wasn’t that big a hit, so when they asked for it [in 1990], I said, “Yeah, I’d like to have people hear that song.” I never thought it would go for five years.

Q: Why has it been so long since you last toured?

A: About four months after the last tour ended in March of ‘87, my mother got ill. She was in and out of hospitals until February of ‘89, when she passed away. So, I did a lot of hospital visits and just hung out in Detroit. And then, six months after that, I met my current wife, Nita. And after two marriages that lasted less than a year, I was going to try to make this one work.

Then, when I finished [the 1991 album] “The Fire Inside,” she got pregnant [with the couple’s son, Cole, now 3]. Meantime, all the guys in the band were all having kids for the first time too. So, everybody was kind of busy with family. It wasn’t really by design.

Q: Before the tickets went on sale and sold so well, were you nervous about the long layoff? Did you wonder whether there would still be an audience for you?

A: Not really. We’ve always done pretty well at the gate. That’s probably our strongest point, even more so than records. Plus, I was planning on doing only one night everywhere rather than multiples like last time.

Q: Why?

A: I think it’s my age. I’m 50 now and I don’t think it’s really possible anymore to do two and three nights in a row. So, 90% of the tour is going to be day on, day off. That way, I can preserve my voice.

Q: What made you believe that this was the right time to go back out on the road again?

A: I’ve got a 3-year-old boy and a 7-month-old girl [Samantha] and I had the vasectomy--the Big V--so our family is all set. We’re going to go on from here, so we’re going to try [touring] again.