Bob Seger ‘Turn The Page’ Profound Inspiration
This is the story behind Bob Seger “Turn The Page.” Ken Settle, Detroit concert photographer sent me this story about the picture of Bob above:
“This is a shot of Seger onstage at Lakeview High School in April of 1973. In the shot, Bob is playing “Turn The Page” for one of the first times in front of an audience. The album, Back In ’72, that “Turn The Page” came off of, was released roughly two months earlier. Bob and his band at that time, known as Bob Seger & The Borneo Band, had not been playing “Turn The Page” at their gigs. Seger introduced the song at Lakeview High School by saying, ‘This is a brand new one for us and I hope you like it.'”
-Ken, thanks as always for your amazing stories and photos.
One of The Ultimate Storytellers
Bob Seger ‘Turn The Page’ is one of those few songs that no matter how many times I’ve heard it, I can’t help but sing along. every. time. The verse that speaks to me the most:
- Most times you can’t hear ’em talk
Other times you can
All the same old cliches
“Is that a woman or a man?”
And you always seem outnumbered
You don’t dare make a stand
The road can be a huge challenge for bands. The temptations of the road and the drill: show, travel, show, travel. It can leave you feeling like you don’t even know where you are. The verse above really puts it in perspective as to the base challenges of a rock band on the road. In just a few words, Bob Seger paints a very clear picture and it is extremely identifiable: being bullied.
Bob pulled the curtain back to show us that it’s not all glamour on the road. It can be lonely, exhausting, and frustrating. Furthermore, Bob manages to paint this picture without sounding like he’s complaining or asking for sympathy. He’s simply making a statement. This is his truth.
Bob Seger ‘Turn The Page’ Inspiration On The Road
In a 1994 interview with Music Connection Bob Seger said, “I hardly ever wrote on the road. I was more of a field general, and there wasn’t a lot of time for writing on the road back then.” Bob went on to say that “Turn the Page” and “Night Moves” were the only songs that he can remember writing on the road. “The songs weren’t totally finished until I had a week or two off the road to really knuckle down on them.”
Amplifiers Ringing
Bob Seger has tinnitus. It’s a ringing in the ears caused by over-exposure to high volumes. “Later in the evening when you lie awake in bed with the echo from the amplifiers ringing in your head.” Bob is not the only artist that has sung about the condition. Peter Frampton, The Raconteurs with Jack White, and Wilco have all mentioned the condition in their songs. You can check out a full list at faithhearing.com.
Live Bullet
landtradio.com talks about Bob Seger’s famous quote, “Our first headline shows ever in a large (twelve thousand seat) hall were the two shows at Detroit’s Cobo Arena, September 4th and 5th, 1975. I remember while I was singing this how nice it was to have such good on-stage monitors. I had never heard my voice so well while performing.”
The two Cobo shows became Live Bullet. The only version of Bob Seger ‘Turn The Page’ you’ll hear on the radio is the live version. Seger’s live performances have sold more than 53 million albums, per bobseger.com.
Bob Seger, Drew Abbott, Chris Campbell, and Alto Reed on stage at Cobo: May 23, 1978. Photo courtesy of Ken Settle
Bob Seger ‘Turn The Page’
Our Detroit concert photographers have caught so many once-in-a-lifetime moments at shows. Here are some of my favorite Bob Seger pictures from Detroit.
Bob Seger Photos From Detroit Photographers
