Still the Same: Bob Seger launching tour, album

NEW YORK - At 69, Bob Seger says he's ready to hit the road again: He's scaled back smoking and bicycles 10 miles a day as part of a workout routine.

"I think I'm in pretty good shape," Seger said in a phone interview, noting that a colonoscopy from a few years ago was clean and he just had a checkup for his tour to promote "Ride Out," the album released last week and his first since 2006.

The 25-city tour begins Nov. 19 in Saginaw, Michigan, and stops at the United Center in Chicago on Dec. 11. Seger isn't saying whether he'll continue touring beyond next year, though he definitely plans to continue creating music: "I just take it tour by tour."

He acknowledges that it is much tougher to get radio time for his music these days, and that the digital transformation has reshaped the industry. "It's half the size it was 10 years ago."

Seger - a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame - plans to play several songs off his new album on tour, plus a mix of staples that he knows he must perform, including "Night Moves," "Mainstreet" and "Turn the Page."

"There's about eight of them that you cannot not do" or fans get upset, Seger said, noting that over time he and his Silver Bullet Band have tried dropping a few from the set list.

"Ride Out" features a mix of rock songs, covers and ballad-like tunes, including one that takes on the topic of climate change.

"It's all about my kids," Seger said. "I'm not going to be around that much longer, but we've all got to worry about our kids and their future."