Goodnight Detroit: KISS And Bob Seger Announce Farewell Tours

MIGUEL RIOPA/AFP/Getty Images

Goodnight Detroit: KISS And Bob Seger Announce Farewell Tours

MIGUEL RIOPA/AFP/Getty Images

As if Detroit didn’t already have enough problems. Earlier this week, Michigan rock overlord Bob Seger, a guy who probably has more hits than the rest of his Michigan ’70s hard-rock peers combined, announced that he’d launch his final tour. Then, a day later, KISS — who are from New York but who had such a hit with “Detroit Rock City” that they made a fucking movie out of it — announced their own farewell tour. (Alive!, the classic KISS concert album, was also recorded in Detroit.) Of course, KISS will happily do whatever makes them the most money, and there is a very good chance that their farewell tour won’t be a farewell tour. But Seger? Seger might really be retiring.

Detroit native Seger, now 73, started out fronting the three-piece band the Decibels in 1961. He was already a regional star when he started the Silver Bullet Band in 1974, and they were still making big hits as late as 1987’s “Shakedown.” They’ve never stopped touring, and they’ve never stopped being a huge draw. And it’s probably worth noting that Seger also recorded “Turn The Page,” maybe the definitive life-on-the-road rock song.

But now the Detroit Free Press reports that Seger is getting ready to say goodbye. Last year, Seger had to cancel some shows after rupturing a disc in his back and going through emergency surgery. His farewell tour launches 11/21 in Grand Rapids, and it doesn’t include a date in Detroit, which seems pretty fucked up. He says it’s the end of his touring career, but maybe he’s planning one last big Detroit show. You can find the dates here.

Meanwhile, Detroit Free Press also reports that KISS pulled the perfectly KISS move of announcing their End Of The Road world tour with a performance on America’s Got Talent. The performance of “Detroit Rock City” found KISS in full makeup, so hopefully these will be makeup shows. Here’s the performance:

They haven’t announced the dates yet, but they’ll be coming in the weeks ahead.

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