For every fan of concerts that reads this column (and those that don’t), I think we can all relate to this story:

Your favorite band is about to go on tour, and when the list of cities that the band or artist is playing comes out ... your city isn’t on the list.

Yep, this has happened to me more times than you can imagine. It is a disappointing feeling, as you just hope and pray that maybe, just somehow, the band will reconsider, and throw your show on the tour itinerary. But in most cases, you are destined to either wait several more months for another leg of the tour; or will just miss out on the band completely. Or, waste a tank of gas or frequent flyer miles to go to some place less deserving than Detroit to see them in.

As a person who attends more concerts than family birthdays each year, I can tell you having your favorite band pass your city up is like a swift kick to the gut, or at the very least, a deep and personal insult.

When I complain about a show not coming, it usually meets with some level of indifference from most people I know. But when others don’t get what they concert-related, they whine to me like I work for the IRS or something. There have been three times this year alone when co-workers, or just people that I see in passing routinely whined about shows not coming to Detroit this year. During the year, I have heard people complain to me about the following:

• A few people complained to me about Barbara Streisand setting a date in Detroit, then cancelling it. Some of these people (none were under the age of 50), whined to me because they couldn’t spend 500 dollars for a show I guaranteed would be a great way to catch up sleep, or perhaps read a book. Even with my snide comments, the people were still frustrated.
• A few younger people I know kept hounding me about the upcoming Justin Timberlake tour. They must have thought I camped out at the man’s house, and watched he and Cameron Diaz in bed in a quest to get information. This situation was given a happy ending. I found out that Timberlake will be at the Palace in March, to the delight of the people thought I must have been a NSync groupie in my former life.
• But nothing, and I mean nothing has been more frustrating than the voicemails and emails I have received over the omission of Detroit dates for the Bob Seger tour. When the first dates were released for Seger’s tour, not having Detroit on those dates was like losing their hair prematurely (which some of them are). People were freaking out, and had no one to turn to, but me...

Well, fear not old folks. Seger is coming December 20th to the Palace, for what will be a series of concert dates around Christmas and the New Year. So Seger fans, breathe out a collective sigh of relief and relax; your prayers have been answered.

I am not completely sure why some of these artists have skipped Detroit at first, or even altogether completely. Another story and some more research might be in order for that. After all, we ARE Motown.

Believe me, I know how shocking and appalling it can be when an artist skips out on you like a jilted lover, but you have to cope and deal with it. But whatever you do, don’t take it out on me. If you run into this problem again, check these websites out for the most up-to-date concert information and dates that haven’t been announced to the general public just yet:

• Ticketmaster.com (Yes, they will post dates a few weeks in advance in some cases)
• Pollstar.com

If you look at these sites, you just might be as well informed on upcoming shows as I am.