Was Bob Seger the original Boss?

We went to see Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band last night at the Moda Center here in Portland. We had seen the band on their last tour here a few years back and loved the show. He scheduled what was to be his last tour in 2017, but completed only 13 dates out of 32 scheduled, due to a ruptured disc that required major surgery. Most thought that he would retire at that point, but he announced last year that he would make up the dates he canceled and add more. He also said it would definitely be his last tour.

It was a great show, if a little less tight and balanced than when we last saw him. He said he would play some obscure songs, and that he did, which was fun but inevitably led to the omission of some of his many crowd favorites. The high points of the two-hour show were very high indeed and intensely emotional, and the band was professional and high-energy throughout.

About halfway through the concert, it occurred to me how similar Seger is to Springsteen, and in so many ways that I had never considered. Sure there are lots of differences, and Springsteen is a musical generation removed from Seger, who had his first national hit and album in 1968. But consider the almost eerie similarities; after following them both for decades, I never have.

First, from day one of their careers, the band has belonged to them, and not just by carrying their name. They wrote all of their respective songs, were in charge of not only the musical but also all of the business decisions. 

And there’s so much more. From a musical standpoint, they both put together bands heavily reliant on keyboards in an era when guitar was king. Both prominently featured both piano and organ on their albums and in their live performances. Strikingly, unlike almost every other band back then, both had a feature saxophonist nearly all the way back to the genesis of their careers. More subtly, neither has been hesitant to add additional players and instruments, and to feature acoustic instruments in the live environment. I have seen both bands numerous times, both in their earlier incarnations as well as in their current iterations, and last night I was struck by how visually similar they are today on stage. Both feature back up singers and horn sections on risers to the sides. Both have two full-time keyboard players and dynamic and varied rock and roll percussion that goes beyond an energetic drummer, and both have the eponymous front man who is as much a musical director on stage as he is a mere lead singer. 

Lastly, both write songs that are uniquely American and incredibly heartfelt and truly meaningful. Think of “My Hometown” and “Turn the Page,” two songs that couldn’t be more different in musical structure or subject matter, and yet mine the deep emotion and longing of quintessential American personal experience.

The last great similarity is the love the audiences show these two artists when they play live with their bands. There is plenty of fan-love to be seen at concerts, but the love I feel at a Stones or a U2 concert is a kind of hero-worship or “aspirational love” if you will. With Seger and Springsteen it is intense and personal, and make no mistake, it is love.

Maybe Bob was really the original Boss …

Portland, Oregon
February 3, 2019