Orel Family

Bob Seger at Pine Knob, June 19, 2019 Bob Seger lives across the other side of the school district . Our kids went to the same public high school . Our kids played in the West Bloomfield High School Marching Band , and we were both active in the Band Boosters Association, separated by a couple of years. And... ok, there's no "and." We live in different zip codes. One summer afternoon, Lori and I visited friends who have a home on Upper Straits Lake and went kayaking. Almost immediately, we saw an immense mansion on the right. "What's that ???" "Oh, that's Bob Seger's new house." But Bob remains a Michigan man, and there's a strong "he's one of us" feeling to many people who grew up here. But in all this time living in the area, the only time I'd had a full concert with Seger was when we just happened to be seated directly behind him at a Bob Dylan concert in 2007. I'd seen him perform just once, a rendition ...

promotional photo for Western Stars. Bruce and the El Camino. "Maps don't do much for me, friend. I follow the weather and the wind." An album of new Bruce Springsteen music is basically Flag Day. Tomorrow, June 14th, is Flag Day. "Western Stars" is coming out. Western Stars is a set of contemplative vignettes, set out on open roads and empty plains. The characters are aging actors, stunt men, men young and old. They don't talk a whole lot about what they do or how much money they (maybe don't) have, where they're going or why, or where they've been, except sometimes in dark hints. There's a kid wonderstruck by the bigness of his world, the old actor, the failed songwriter, and a lot of loneliness. There are also references to other songs, both Bruce's and others, more than I can count, and yet it's new. The album opens with "Hitch Hikin'." This feels instantly like it's hooking in to the Woody Guthrie so...