Bob Seger's You'll Accomp'ny Me Live

One of Bob Seger’s popular songs is “You’ll Accomp’ny Me”. It comes from his 1980 album “Against the Wind” which includes the hit single of the same name. I decided to write a blog post about the live version. The original version featured Bob Seger on acoustic guitar. He was accompanied by members of the Silver Bullet Band Chris Campbell (bass) & David Teegarden (drums) and Little Feat members Bill Payne (keyboards) & Sam Clayton (percussion). Little Feat is a southern rock band. This is an upbeat soft rock song with a jolly feel.

The live version is from 1981’s live album “Nine Tonight”. It was performed at the Boston Garden in October 1980 which is exactly 45 years ago. Silver Bullet Band members Drew Abbott and Alto Reed who weren’t on the original recording play on this version. Drew plays acoustic guitar and saxophonist Alto doesn’t play sax, but organ. Piano is played by keyboardist Craig Frost who joined the band for the “Against the Wind” Tour this performance is from.

The opening section has acoustic guitar with organ briefly appearing. Bob sings and soon the piano appears. Alto’s organ contributes greatly to the rich musical sound of this performance. Bob sings powerfully with passion. I think this version is better than the studio version. Craig’s piano is what elevates it in my view. I love the way he rocks on that instrument. The song concludes with Bob thanking the audience and saying “great to be back in Boston”. Even though this song is a ballad, it has a great rock energy. It showcases the power of Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band at their peak. Similar to how this performance is exactly 45 years ago, this month marks my 15th anniversary of becoming a Bob Seger fan in October 2010.