I got back to work on Monday, after a 4-week-holiday. In the evening I met up with
nauriz, and we went to see Meat Loaf, my long time idol.
Meat Loaf is most famous for his 1977 album
Bat out of Hell, which has sold 37 million copies according to wikipedia. He is one of my favorite singers, so I was really looking forward to this concert. Unfortunately, Meat Loaf didn't deliver. His band was absolutely amazing, especially the bass player Kasim Sulton, who also played on the
Bat out of Hell-album. Musically I have no complaints, the two guitarists were great, and in addition to the regular rock instruments there was a piano and saxophone.
Even such a great setup could unfortunately not mask Meat Loaf's vocal problems. He was constantly off key, and it seemed like he couldn't control his pitch at all. Often the melodies in the songs changed completely, so that they were virtually unrecognizable. His band and the two female backup singers were the only thing that made the concert bearable. Meat Loaf, on the other hand, would do well to retire from doing live shows. I've heard he hasn't been in a good form in a long time, and the cyst he had on his vocal chords last year can't have helped...
As a show, the concert was great. Meat Loaf and Patti Russo acted out the stories in many of the songs, with outfit changes and everything. Patti Russo's singing was amazing.
I'd Do Anything for Love (But I Won't Do That) could have been a great theatrical performance, but unfortunately the song revealed in no uncertain terms that Meat Loaf could not control his pitch, which made me cringe so badly it was not funny. My favorite song
Bat out of Hell actually sounded almost good after the horror of
I'd Do Anything for Love (But I Won't Do That), but only because the band covered so well for Meat Loaf. For me the highlight was when Kasim Sulton sang the last lines of the song, while at the same time looking at me and smiling. :)
I'm glad I saw Meat Loaf live, but I'm sad that he can no longer sing well. In his youth, he had one of the best voices. It was great to see Kasim Sulton. In November I'm going to see Todd Rundgren, who produced the
Bat out of Hell-album. He also plays the motorcycle sound in the song
Bat out of Hell,
on his guitar! I would never have known, it sounds so authentic!
Meat Loaf: Bat out of Hell (video)
Watch out for the motorcycle guitar at 5:29!
( Setlist )( Performers )( Photos )