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 ...

I dragged myself on the bathroom scale this morning. It was reading kind of low. Good, good, I thought, I haven't seen that number in months. That's when I realized, the Springsteen diet works! Oh, I got that Fitbit and I track my steps and my climbs. But on Bruce show night, I walked twice as many steps and climbed twice as many floors. It starts with the 10 minute walk in. That can be tripled if the teenage daughter leaves her ticket in the car -- unplanned benefits! Then the show starts, and there are so many opportunities! Free weights, during "Hungry Heart." Lateral motion, during "I'm a Rocker." Hand grip exercises, for "Drive All Night"; bring your own cell phone or lighter. Aerobics, during "Dancing in the Dark"; the teenage daughter offers to take lead. Voice exercises, during "Backstreets." Jumping, during "Shout." And, of course, staying upright for three and a half hours with no break. Just keep...

Last night we saw Bob Dylan at Freedom Hill Amphitheater over in Sterling Heights. The show was hot, though maybe not quite as much as the Palace show last November . Bob's been touring with he same band for several years now, and they were pretty tight throughout. Freedom Hill is about in a county park about 20 miles due east from our house. Surface streets all the way, and we managed to catch every red light. We wanted to see Jimmy Vaughan open, but by the time we got there he was almost done, we got to hear about the last 10 seconds of his final song. After a couple minutes, I went over to the souvenir stand; Dylan always does venue-specific posters now, and I'm a sucker for 'em. I got to the front of the line, and behind the table was... Jimmy Vaughan. So now I have a signed poster. Vaughan was standing with a tall bald guy in an ancient Bob Seger t-shirt, some folks seemed to recognize him, too. Dylan opened with Rainy Day Women #12 & 35 while Jimmy...

I went to my 2nd ever World Series game last night. Like the first World Series game I attended, it was the first World Series game in the city in more than 2 decades. And, like the first World Series game I attended, the opposing manager was Tony LaRussa. And, like the first World Series game I attended, LaRussa's team routed the home team. That first game, back in 1989, is hardly remembered. The A's won 13-3, 10 days after the Loma Prieta earthquake. Went with Karen and her brother Larry, amazingly his only other WS game was that very same game 3, 17 years ago. The view from the right field side, as the Cardinals take batting practice. The Tigers are heavy favorites; considering that the Cardinals starting lineup includes David Eckstein leading off, as well as Juan Encarnacion, Yadier Molina and Ronnie Beliard, this is understandable. Most people expect that Detroit will sweep the series, and the big question is whether the Cardinals will win a single game. Bob Seger...