At Home in Hespeler

it’s like Fantino never left…

On Saturday there was a “Truth and Reconciliation Rally” in Caledonia Ontario,  in which the protesters, or bad guys in OPP parlance, were “repeatedly bumped and obstructed,” walking down the road. The OPP, which did arrest Gary McHale in 2007 for the aggressive action of raising a Canadian flag, did bubkus.

McHale did have a chance to speak to one of the six nations elders, but was drowned out by bussed in protesters.

Natasha at Moose & Squirrel has done great work on this.

And be sure to read Christie Blatchford’s compelling book on the Caledonia Crisis:

*****************************
Update: from Natasha in the comments: o, no — All I’m doing is relaying the info Mark Vandermaas (Voice of Canada) has been kind enough to provide.

In Dalton McGuinty’s Ontario… Caledonia, Christie Blatchford, Gary McHale, Helpless, OPP

One likes to believe in the freedom of music.

Rush – Spirit of Radio.

Opera gets a bad name in modern western culture. It’s where guys have to go to appease their wives, the penitence demanded before they can go “to the big game.” It is Carmen’s Habanera that is playing when a sitcom camera enters a gay characters living room. Last year there was a Juicy Fruit gum commercial in which a bathing suit clad doofus was at an opera. On stage was a great cow of a woman with a Viking hat on her head caterwauling painfully.It’s a bad, and unfair, rap. Opera is, at it’s finest, some of the most sublime music ever crafted, pieced together into a story and presented in dramatic form.

Last week the Royal Opera in London premiered a new opera: Anna Nicole: The Party Always Ends is a presentation of the life, and death, of Anna Nicole Smith in song. Starring soprano Eva-Marie Westbrook as Anna Nicole, the opera features Westbrook in oversized prosthetic breasts – back to the great cow theme – and simulating oral sex in a strip club. It all seems really quite sordid, and out of tune with the seriousness that opera is supposed to have.

Except opera never was meant to be deadly serious. It is music, entertainment, and was always treated as such before the 20th century. In the Italian tradition, rich patrons would take a picnic and entertain their friends at a box at the opera rather than feed them at home because it was cheaper. They would yell at the stage, boo missed notes and sing along. None of the hushed solemnity that people demand at performances now.

Opera’s themes have always been a bit sordid. The first operas recreated the Greek tragedies that were considered important cultural touchstones, but were being lost. Themes of lust and love, sex and money, life and death run through the opera repertoire. Considered from a greater distance than we are able to master, a Anna Nicole Smith is a classic operatic heroine

The reviews of Anna Nicole seem to miss this point. They have been generally positive about the music, in some cases raving. They have universally been very positive about Eva-Marie Westbrook, calling her a tour de force (Reuters), excellent (Sky News), first rate (theguardian) and splendid (ABC).

Then there’s that jazz trio during the strip club scene. The bass player looks familiar somehow… it’s… um… wait a minute that’s John Paul Jones from Led Zeppelin.

But what’s a jazz trio doing in an opera? some critics seriously sniff. It’s opera, stuffy, fussy and boisterous, not some laid back, breathless singer purring Summertime at the Iradium Jazz Club.

What people don’t realize is, Gershwin himself once wrote an opera. Wanting to be taken more seriously, and wanting to try his hand at a musical format he admired, he tried his hand at opera. He wrote a pretty good one too, Porgy and Bess, which is recognized by opera buffs as one of the 20th centuries, and Americas best operas.

Based in the south, and calling for a cast of African Americans, Porgy and Bess has been performed at the Metropolitan Opera, broadcast on their famous Saturday Afternoon at the Opera broadcasts and is “regularly performed internationally.” The most well-known piece from Porgy and Bess? Summertime.

That’s right, the breathless singer at The Iradium is singing an opera standard, as she also is when she breaks into Mack the Knife, by Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht from The Threepenny Opera – for that matter, when the Doors broke into The Alabama Song (“show me the way to the next whisky bar…”), they were singing a Weill and Brecht song, from the opera Rise and Fall of the City of Mahogany.

And opera is not, never has been, one type of music. The aforementioned Habanera from Carmen is a Cuban style piece (Habanera is a Cuban dance), in a French opera, sung in Italian with a setting in Spain. Really I think there’s enough flexibility in the genre to handle one scene in which a Jazz trio – featuring one of rocks best bassists – performs a piece.

No what galls the reviewers is that the creators of this opera dare take on a modern tragedy, instead of a classic one. Something like Giuseppe Verdi’s Rigoletto, a story of a hunchbacked court jester (Rigoletto), who hires a killer to kill his master, the promiscuous Duke. Rigoletto’s daughter, unknown to him, is in love with The Duke. The killer unwittingly kills Rigoletto’s daughter, instead of the Duke. The first song in Rigoletto, Questa o quella per me pari sono (this one or that one, it’s all the same to me), is a tribute to women and promiscuity.

So no, Anna Nicole is not unsuitable material, even if it is a bit tame by operas standards.

The Freedom of Music Anna Nicole, Bertolt Brecht, Carmen, Eva-Marie Westbrook, Gershwin, Giuseppe Verdi, Habanera, Iradium Jazz Club, John Paul Jones, Kurt Weill, Led Zeppelin, Mack the Knife, Porgy and Bess, Rigoletto, Rise and Fall of the City of Mahogany, Summertime, The Alabama Song, The Party Always Ends\, The Threepenny Opera

Our first priority remains the evacuation of Canadians, safely and quickly by any means possible

human rights Libya, PM Harper, Stephen Harper

All the fluffy news about those nutty celebrities

It’s open warfare on the Two and a Half Men set.
Sheen went on a flat out rant against executive producer Chuck Lorre Thursday, causing producers to shut down production of the show, and put it‘s future in doubt. Calling Lorre a “contaminated little maggot,” Sheen proved once again that his recent negative drug tests are tainted:

Clearly I have defeated this earthworm with my words – imagine what I could have done with my fire breathing fists.

His fists breath? Fire??

Review in Brief: Anna Nicole, the Opera: John Paul Jones on bass and a big blowsy blond singing, what could possibly be wrong with that?

(ed’s note: the above opera was not actually seen by the reviewer)

Speaking of Charlie Sheen and floozy blonds, one of Sheen’s hooker friends from his infamous, briefcase full of blow party is back in the news. After the party, and the fame, Kacey Jordan discovered she was pregnant.

The pregnancy is no more, as Jordan told TMZ.com “I don’t have a baby anymore.”

And was Charlie Sheen the father?

“I really don’t know.”

Singing’s a nice gig. Ask Mariah Carey, Usher or Beyonce. On New Years Eve 2009 Carey was jetted to the Caribbean island of St. Barts and paid $1M to sing 4 songs, four – $250,000/song. Nice! Usher and Beyonce both had similar gigs in the year that followed, although actual money amounts have not been disclosed.

Nice gig! Nice people, not so much.

The host of Carey’s million dollar new years eve “shityesapalooza” was the sons of Libyan protest-straffer Mu’amar Gaddafi (or Kaddafi Duck, as I recall it in a famous 80’s era cartoon).

The big billed Bedouin has recently declared war on Libya. This is bad because

a)war is bad and

b) he’s Libyan.

A leader at war with, and murdering his own people is bad company. Now, some music industry types are asking, why were the stars performing for this nutcase and his family. Case in point, Grammy winning band Arcade Fire’s manager David T. Viecelli:

People put a big paycheck on the table, and people don’t consider where the money is coming from, or what they’re at least passively endorsing. I don’t want to specifically say Beyonce or Mariah Carey behaved unethically, because I don’t know all the details. But if it’s true that Mu’amar Gaddafi’s son says, “I’ve got $50 million, come and play for my buddies,” I really think you have to say no to that.

Added former president of Reprise Records Howie Klein:

When I saw Beyonce and Usher and whoever else out there partying with these Libyan criminals… these are people who have stolen tens of millions of dollars from their nation…

Actually what they have in common is they are shooting at their own people, but lets not split hairs.

I can’t speak for Beyonce or Usher, but in fairness to Mariah Carey, she’s really not that smart.

Friday Charlie Sheen Update:

About his bosses at CBS, including Jewish creator and producer of his *ahem* sit-“com” Two and a Half Men:

These people are a bunch of AA Nazis.

As one observer put it, Sheen has an awful expensive lifestyle to afford on residuals.

Catherine Zeta-Jones was awarded the Commander of the Order of the British Empire this week, at a ceremony at Buckingham Palace. The British actress, along with husband Michael Douglas and their children, Dylan and Carys to the ceremony. Zeta-Jones (CBE), was honoured for her charity work and services to the film industry.

Also honoured was American actor Henry (The Fonz) Winkler, who received an Order of the British Empire (OBE) for his work with children’s charities.

Fluffernutter Anna Nicole, Arcade Fire, Beyonce, Catherine Zeta Jones, Charlie Sheen, Chuck Lorre, David T. Viecelli, Henry Winkler, Howie Klein, John Paul Jones, Kacey Jordan, Kaddafi Duck, Mariah Carey, Michael Douglas, Mu’amar Gaddafi, Opera, St. Barts, The Fonz, Two and a Half Men, Usher

…at the welfare office,” a 20-year-old woman named Noor al-Maleki texted a friend on Oct. 20, 2009…

On Feb. 22, Faleh al-Maleki was convicted of killing his daughter, committing aggravated assault against Khalaf and leaving the scene of a crime. His defense attorney argued that he had intended to spit on Khalaf and accidentally ran over the two women…

“Some families think that the women of the family represent their reputation… If a woman has committed a violation in their point of view, they believe if they kill her, they have ended the shame. Blood cleanses honor.”

Chilling.

h/t to Ayaan Hirsi Ali via Facebook

There's Nothing Honourable in That Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Faleh al-Maleki, Honour Killing, Noor al-Maleki

When Led Zeppelin released a jam with piano player Ian Stewart, Boogie With Stu, they gave a writing credit to Mrs. Valens. The reason was because they had heard the Valens family had received no royalties from Ritchie Valens songs after his death. No good deed going unpunished, the estate of the late Valens sued Zeppelin for plagiarism. Considering Valens ooh my head is a rip of Little Richard’s Ooh My Soul…

Love Chuck Berry drumming on the table. And speaking of Chuck Berry, Bob Seger is hitting the road with a small tour: just another one of Chuck’s children playing his licks.

Cool For Cats, Rockin' and Rollin' and Never Forgettin', YouTube Bob Seger, Boogie With Stu, Chuck Berry, Led Zeppelin, ooh my head, Ritchie Valens, Rock and Roll Never Forgets

There has been a lot of discussion in Ottawa lately about secrets, lying, and withholding the truth. Mainly because it has been suggested by, well, pretty much every newspaper in the country, that this has become the standard operating procedure for the CBC. Now to be fair, this is not entirely the CBC’s fault… they start treating Canadians like, what’s the word I’m looking for here? Idiots.

Now I get this. I mean this CBC has things they want to do. Big things. They wanna build windmills, buy lattes, advertise. And that is their prerogative. The problem arises when the taxpayers get it into their heads that they should have some idea of what this is gonna cost. The CBC Solution? Tell the people nothing.

Now could you imagine if we all lived our lives like that? Imagine for a minute you want a new truck. Take a page from the CBC playbook. Look your spouse in the eye tonight and say, “I’m gettin’ a new truck. Your job is to pay for the truck, not know what it costs.” And then if your spouse is entirely unreasonable and still demands an answer, pull a Rick Mercer. Rant about the evil Conservative government

Because at the end of the day, that is the message this network is sending to the voters and yes, the children of Canada. The hell with the truth, the lie will set you free. And you know what? It’s not good enough. Because in a free and open society, when it comes to government operations, the people who pay the bills deserve to know the truth. And I know CBC, sometimes the truth hurts. But the truth will not harm democracy. Only secrets and lies will do that.

Thanks to Ron for the suggestion

CBC CBC, Rock Mercer

Iran’s nuclear program presents a threat to international stability. Yet successive American administrations—Republican and Democratic alike—have misread the intentions and actions of the Iranian regime.

How dangerous is a nuclear Iran, even if it never detonates a weapon? What are the guiding principles of the Iranian leadership? To what lengths would the regime go to carry out its agenda? How far have Iran’s leaders already gone to fund the world’s most powerful terrorist organizations? And why have American leaders failed to gain the upper hand in relations with Iran during the past 30 years?

Iranium is a powerful movie guaranteed to make you think, and make you worry. You can buy a copy of Iranium by clicking here.

Uncategorized Iranium

One likes to believe in the freedom of music.

Rush – Spirit of Radio.

Vic Chestnut was a singer-songwriter from Georgia. Paralyzed at 19 in a car accident, he died in 2009 from an overdose of muscle relaxants. Speaking of their new album, Demons, the Cowboy Junkies Margo Timmins said about Chestnut:

We‘ve always picked our opening act in that way. These are people that we admire and, in some cases, feel like the situation should be reversed…

Which leads to the question: The Cowboy Junkies have opening acts? Plural?

Well sure, every band of any note has had an opening act. My high school buddies once opened for Frank Soda and the Imps at Starrs in Brampton. But you get the feeling Margo Timmins isn’t talking about showing up at the 300 seat bar, sound checking Over Sexed and Underfed, testing the exploding TV headwear (God I miss the 80’s), and finding out which group of underage wannabees you’ll be sharing the stage with.

This is, it need be said, not to slag The Cowboy Junkies. I like their cover of Lou Reeds Sweet Jane enough, and Margo Timmins is certainly nice enough to look at. And therein lies the depth of my knowledge on them. It simply never occurred to me they were a very big band.

In Dave Bidini’s 1998 Book, On a Cold Road: Tales of Adventure in Canadian Rock, he chronicles his band, The Rheostatics, at their most successful: as the opening act for The Tragically Hip on a cross Canada tour. If you lumped The Tragically Hip, The Rheostatics and The Cowboy Junkies together and started singing:

One of these things is not like the other,
Two of these things are kind of the same…

I would place The Cowboy Junkies as being like The Rheostatics, not The Tragically Hip. But there they are, touring the world with their own sound-gear, lights and opening acts.

The earlier statement that Vic Chestnut died of an “overdose of muscle relaxants,” is accurate as far as the technicalities of how he died went. Unmentioned is Chestnuts death was a suicide. Chestnuts songs often dealt with the subject of death, including his own, and contained an element dark humour.

Listed as The Nomad Series Volume 2, the Junkies new album is a collection of Vic Chestnut songs. Smoothing out the songs – Chestnut had an injured hand and played clunky guitar and had a staggered, hesitant vocal delivery – Chestnut’s material becomes classic Cowboy Junky material. His stories of down and out characters, his lonely personal songs in the hands of Margo Timmins and the Junkies is a flawless match. Timmins voice is at once strongly pretty and plaintiff, paired with Chestnuts lyrics the songs are given an air of solemnity.

“People that we admire,” is what Timmins said of their opening acts, including Chestnut. It didn’t need saying. The treatment the Cowboy Junkies gave to Vic Chestnut’s songs make it clear they aren’t just covering the songs, they are paying homage.

The Freedom of Music cowboy junkies, Demons, rheostatics, The Nomad Series, tragically hip, vic chestnut

All the fluffy news about those nutty celebrities

Good news for Charlie Sheen. He has passed, according top reports, two drug tests since his home-based rehab began. He is feeling good, and ready to work.

So good, and so ready, in fact, that he went to work. Turned up at the set and, surprise, it was locked up tight:

…I was banging on the stage door, going, ‘Hello?’ and I don’t know what happened, I guess they’re closed. Nobody told me. I just figured I was supposed to go back to work because I‘m ready…

Did I mention he passed two drug tests?

Karma, meet Justin Beiber: Justin – karma: Young master Beiber had the weekend set up just perfect. A new docu-flick, Never Say Never, on Friday, preceding the Grammy’s on Sunday. Top the box office, two big awards and on Monday morning, Beiber arrived in the BIG time. He sets ‘em up, and then he knocks ‘em down…

Or get’s knocked down: Monday morning everybody was talking about fellow Canadian’s Arcade Fire, who did win big at the Grammys’ and Just Go With It, the 1 star Adam Sandler, Jennifer Aniston flick, which was #1 at the box office.

Consolation prize was a Brit award Tuesday for International Breakthrough act, beating – gasp – the Glee cast.

Arcade Fire, conversely, enjoyed a good karma weekend, thank you for asking. The Montreal rockers won a major Grammy for album of the year. They celebrated with a small, private party at their LA hotel’s rooftop patio. They then jetted to London for the Brit Awards, where they won best international album and best international group.

Congratulations to a group of real musicians, making real solid rock music. Lets hope they are the beginning of a trend, not a one-off “talent beats pretty” event.

Karma Juice: A report from the National Enquirer says unconvicted murderer OJ Simpson was beaten unconscious by white supremacists at the Nevada prison he now calls home. Simpson allegedly was talking about his relationships with white women when the prisons Nazi element took offence.

Now what is that saying about picking sides when Nazi’s and OJ Simpson are fighting? Oh yea, c’mon lightning.

Poppa Montana, Billy Ray Cyrus, is speaking out about his daughters recent run of wild behaviour: three tattoos; an underage 18th birthday Party at a bar; a video of her smoking a big bong. The problem, says Miley Cyrus’ dad is her handlers.

This is an 18 year old girl, so I don’t want to make fun. We’ve all seen the path another semi-wild 18 year old ended up on in Lindsay Lohan. So here’s what Papa Billy had to say:

The damn show (Hannah Montanna) destroyed my family. I’d take it back in a second. For my family to be here and just everybody be okay, safe and sound and happy and normal would have been fantastic. Heck yea, I’d erase it all in a second if I could.

I’m scared for her (daughter Miley). She’s got a lot of people around her that’s putting her in a great deal of danger. I know she’s 18, but I still feel like, as her daddy, I’d like to help.”

She seems to be, in truth, acting like a pretty normal 18 year old, or at least, not outrageously unlike an 18 year old, and Billy Ray Cyrus sounds exactly like a worried dad should. While it’s agreed the danger can become more pronounced in a big star like Cyrus, as of yet it doesn’t seem to be anything more than sowing a few wild oats.

Lets all hope it never become more.

Uncle Leo (1922-2011)

Farewell to Seinfeld’s Uncle Leo, aka Len Lesser, who died this week age 88.

Among his other roles, Lesser was three times in Get Smart, including his turn as Luden, in The Decoy. He gets the great line at around 4:30 in the video below, “No torture? What do you have against torture.”

RIP Len Lasser.

Fluffernutter Adam Sandler, Arcade Fire, Billy Ray Cirus, Charlie Sheen, Get Smart, Glee Cast, Grammy, Hannah Montana, Jennifer Aniston, Just Go With It, Justin Beiber, Len Lesser, Miley Cyrus, Never Say Never, OJ Simpson, Seinfeld, Uncle Leo

The incredible Joe Bonamassa doing Led Zeppelin’s Tea for One in a Stunning piece of blues virtuosity:

Cool For Cats Joe Bonamassa, Tea For One

All the fluffy news about those nutty celebrities

Last week we reported Lindsay Lohan was involved in an investigation over a missing piece of jewellery.

On Monday, Lohan was charged with felony grand theft for stealing the $2,500 necklace.

Her attorney, having seen the evidence, says the case is defensible. Lets see now: video of Lohan wearing necklace in store; police notified necklace missing; police notify Lohan they will search her house; Lohan assistant returns necklace.

Am I missing something? Either it was loaned to her, in which case Lohan has some piece of paper indicating that, or it was not loaned to her. Produce the receipt for loan of the jewellery, and it’s defensible. Otherwise, it seems pretty open and shut.

Pretentious, self righteous Pink has decided to poke in the eye the paparazzi. Bearing in mind that paparazzi take pictures of people who don’t want their picture taken, thus who don’t pose for those pictures, Pink’s logic is strange:

…because the paparazzi of today have absolutely no photographic skill or artistry whatsoever, and their pictures are hideous. I’m going to post a self-portrait I took yesterday morning… 3 wks (weeks) of photo classes for me and I am already a far better photographer than anyone of them…

In short, just because you make money doing something, don’t think that means you have talent.

OK, I’ll bite: how much money has Pink made as a singer?

Will they or won’t they? The Rolling Stones have been rumoured to be well into the planning stages of a fall 2011 tour. But there’s a tiny, um…, fly in the ointment. It seems Mick Jagger is not talking to Keith Richards after his biography, and later in an interview, Keith referred to Mick’s “tiny todger.”

For those who don’t get English witticisms, tiny todger is euphemism for “he is a bigger dick than he has.”

Things are no better in the Guns’n’Roses camp, where Slash and Axl Rose haven’t had much to say to each other since the early 1990’s.

Recently Slash has made noises about reuniting the original Guns’n’Roses, assuming Axl approached Slash, apologies ‘n’ hand.

Keep waiting.

On his Twitter account this week Rose said:

Contrary to anyone’s claims there are no concrete plans, nor where there ever for a tour and certainly not to replace anyone in the band, beyond a collection of random ideas thrown out by various individuals without any real foundation

Can’t he just say Slash has a tiny todger and be done with it?

Gary Moore (1952-2011)

Gary Moore was one of the greats of the electric guitar, full stop. Less known than many other guitar heroes, Moore was nonetheless one of the very best.

Best known for his work in Thin Lizzy and as a solo artist, Moore was a top player in the rock world for fourty years.

Born in Belfast, he left in 1969 at age 16 to join a band, Skid Row, in Dublin.  There, he would play with Phil Lynott, who would later draft him to play in his band, Thin Lizzy.

To understand the mark Gary Moore has left in the music world, you need to follow some classic musicians on twitter. His passing this week of a suspected heart attack is being mourned by many. One of the true greats and, by all accounts, a fine human being.

RIP Gary Moore.

Fluffernutter Axl Rose, Gary Moore, Guns 'n' roses, Keith Richards, Lindsay Lohan, Mick Jagger, Pink, Rolling Stones, Slash, Thin Lizzy

The Iranian Embassy tried to stop this film being watched in Ottawa.

A documentary highlighting Iran from 1978 to now: it’s Revolutionary Guard who are really religious warriors; it’s Constitution that calls for “The establishment of a universal and holy government and the downfall of all others; a regime that rapes women before they execute them so they won’t get into Paradise; a regime that stones women for adultery and hangs women for being raped; a regime with a nuclear program.

Watch it now, watch it here:

Or Buy a DVD of this incredible, must watch movie.

Uncategorized Add new tag, Iran, Iranium

From my hometown of Belfast, Gary Moore was one of the greats of guitar, and way too young to die.

Rest in Peace Gary Moore (in the silver jacket):

RIP, Rockin' and Rollin' and Never Forgettin' Cowboy Song, Gary Moore, The Boys Are Back in Town, Thin Lizzy

One likes to believe in the freedom of music.

Rush – Spirit of Radio.

In 1980 I bought Bob Seger’s second live album, Nine Tonight, and threw it on the turntable. Everything I thought about music changed. Seger was an outsider to the band culture, complete with virtuoso guitarists, that I had believed was the best in music. I had never been a Seger fan, always thought his stuff was overly simple, three chord pop, not worthy of my attention. Nine Tonight changed that.

A week later, enthused by my reaction to Nine Tonight, I picked up his previous live album, Live Bullet. I was sitting on the floor of my bedroom in dim light listening to it when Turn The Page came on. I was dumbstruck: what was this and how had I never heard it before? When it was over I picked up the needle and listened again. And again. And again. I was sold.

To this day I consider that version of that song possibly the greatest moment in rock and roll. It is on any night a great song, but on that night in Detroit’s Cobo Hall, Bob Seger had an epiphanal moment.

For those not familiar with Live Bullet, a little history: In 1975 Seger was working the same mid-west circuit that bands like Ted Nugent, ZZ Top and REO Speedwagon were working (don‘t mock REO until you‘ve heard their live album), club to club, small hall to small hall trying to eke out a living. He had a number of albums out, none of which had been particularly successful. He was one of the top performers on the lower rungs of rock’n’roll’s hierarchy. Wichita, Akron, Fargo, Kalamazoo &tc. playing for a few thousand people a night.

Detroit was different. Detroit was home and they “got” Bob Seger like the rest of the country didn’t. So riding the bus between Tupelo, Mississippi and Gary, Indiana one night became playing three shows to 18,000 people at Cobo Hall the next. From a wanna be star to a defacto star by crossing the border between Ohio and Michigan:

Here I am, on the road again
There I am, up on the stage.
Here I go, playing star again.
There I go, turn the page.

It’s hardly surprising that Seger, and his band, took the above words and made magic out of them on one of those nights at Cobo Hall.

Live Bullet changed Seger’s life, changed the shape of his career. The album was successful enough that he began playing bigger halls everywhere, which led to his best, and most successful album, Night Moves. Everything changed, and then Bob Seger stopped changing.

Last week Bob Seger announced a small spring tour of select cities. Saginaw, Toledo, Grand Rapids and Cleveland have already been announced. Thirty years after Nine Tonight, five studio albums later, the show he will put on will mostly be Nine Tonight, with a few touches from Live Bullet. If you found yourself in a coma in 1981, and your first act after coming out of it in 2011 is go see Bob Seger, you will know most of the songs (including, to your surprise, Chuck Berry’s Cest Le Vie).

I offer the above knowledge of what you will see at a Bob Seger concert not as a warning, concerned you’ll spend hard earned money on some dinosaur who refuses to grow. I offer it as a service, to let you know that there is no surprises at a Bob Seger concert, and that it is a good thing.

“People know when something’s fake, and they know when something’s rehashed and rehearsed. They know when your telling them the same joke between songs that you told in Poughkeepsie last night. They can smell it” Jack White said in the documentary It Might Get Loud.

I have seen Bob Seger six times since 1982 and every time he has said, “I feel a bit funky tonight,” before the second song, Tryin’ To Live My Life Without You, just as he does on Nine Tonight. It doesn’t smell. When you leave a Seger concert you know you saw something tightly scripted, tightly controlled and you had a great time. The scripting, the control, the eleven piece band including three female back-up singers. It doesn’t matter. What counts at a Bob Seger concert is the music, the songs. And you will get your fill of good to great rock and roll, played with exceptional professionalism.

Know what the fifth song will be at any Bob Seger concert? Old Time Rock and Roll. Always. He warms you up a little, starting with something like Roll Me Away, followed by Seger’s pronouncement that he feels funky leading into Tryin’ To Live My Life Without You. There’s be something new, Mainstreet and then… “just take those old records off the shelf…”

That’s what a Bob Seger concert is like: taking the old records off the shelf. After Old Time R&R, he’ll lead you through a solid grounding of his best stuff: Night Moves, Hollywood Nights, Shakedown, Lock and Load, Rock and Roll Never Forgets, Betty Lou, Ramblin’ Gamblin’ Man and, We’ve Got Tonight/Turn the Page.

It is not a serious event, but a revival, a reminder that we once considered rock and roll dance music, and that while sweet sixteen may be 31, 41, 51 even 61, rock and roll really never does forget.

The Freedom of Music Betty Lou, Bob Seger, Cobo Hall, Hollywood Nights, Live Bullet, Lock and Load, Night Moves, Nine Tonight, Ramblin’ Gamblin’ Man, REO Speedwagon, Rock and Roll Never Forgets, Shakedown, Ted Nugent, Turn the Page, We've Got Tonight, ZZ Top