Detroit roots-rocker Bob Seger and his Silver Bullet Band paid a visit to the Late Show with David Letterman on CBS Monday night, where he performed “All of the Roads” off his latest album Ride Out, as well as “The Fire Down Below” from the songwriter’s 1976 LP Night Moves. In addition to these performances, Seger sat down for an interview with Letterman to talk about his band’s name, Chevy’s “Like a Rock” ad campaign, the median age of his audience, and Motown music.
Seger shared his experiences of growing up as a young musician in Detroit:
“One New Year’s Eve, it was really a thrill. I was in a room with Stevie Wonder, the Four Tops, Diana Ross and the Supremes, and they’re all practicing and singing… Stevie was playing his harmonica. It was pretty heady.”
During the interview, Seger revealed that before signing a deal with Capitol Records, he had been wooed with a contract by Motown. He also let Letterman in on the origin of the name of his group:
“We were all arguing about what our band name should be, and I was kind of letting the band pick it themselves, and they just kept arguing and arguing. Finally, our manager sent us our paychecks with ‘Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band’ on it. He got tired of waiting for us so he made it up himself.”
Seger’s appearance on the Late Show arrives just days before he performs at New York’s Madison Square Garden as part of his Ride Out Tour, which tentatively runs through early March. Although no Detroit dates have been announced yet, his last tour closed with a two-night finale at Cobo Arena.
Watch Bob Seger’s interview with David Letterman below:
Watch Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band perform “All of the Roads” on Late Show with David Letterman below: