After a great dinner, Vicki, Doreen, Jen and I made our way to the Event Center. Well..don't let having front row seats on your tickets fool You!! We had front row seats..Yes.. But, they were way over to the left and it was also a partially obstructed (by a black curtain) view!! We would not be able to see Patti, Randy..or Kasim!! Thankfully..we were among the ones that got moved more toward the center and then we had a great view!! Especially the left side of the stage!!

It seemed that things were running about 10-15 minutes behind..so unfortunately Kasim did not open! I had really hoped he would. He's really an exceptional talent! Those who have seen him open have been very lucky.

The show started with the Wasted Youth Speech right into Do It with the black light special effects with the masks. However..the poor soul that was working the house lights didn't quite cut them all off and Meat was not too pleased and made a comment which I don't care to repeat!

I must say the new additions of Renee Cologne and Randy Flowers really make this band so tight and the music was flawless!! Kasim has really got this band being one of the best in the business right now!! I still miss Pearl Aday, but Renee does a wonderful job! She plays keyboards and guitar and has a beautiful clear voice that blends well with Kasim's and Patti's vocals. Meat's voice this night was very strong and he seemed to be in a really fun mood. He smiled and laughed alot and of course had fun with a poor guy "Dave" in the front row. He wasn't singing along enough to please Meat! He was a good sport and Meat had a few jokes with him throughout the show. Another funny moment was when Meat stopped after a song and opened up a cough drop! "These are from 1994 and the paper sticks," he said. I missed hearing him joke around like he did last year..but he was still funny and entertaining.

The duets Anything For Love, Couldn't Have Said It Better, and Paradise were great! Meat and Patti have it all down to a science and don't miss a beat! It was my first time seeing CHSIB live and it was wonderful! Paradise was hilarious as usual! The seemed to be doing a spoof of the last scene of "Grease". Leather jackets, Patti in a Dolly Parton type blonde wig, and the funny antics. This time..Patti is more the aggressor and Meat acts the shy kid part. By this point in the show..noone was in their seats and the audience had made it's way up to the edge of the stage! Kasim had to play part time bouncer and he sort of (with a swift right foot) pushed an over zealous fan (No..not me or anyone in my group! ) off the stage! Everyone was really having fun and singing along to Paradise. Meat even motioned for the security guards to back off and let the fans stay at the stage.

The show ended with BOOH and Livin' in the USA. BOOH sounded great! It's always an awesome song to see live. "Livin In The USA" is I think..the song for the band to come front and have fun! They all have guitars and the US Flags waving behind them. They seem to not get audience members onstage now. One thing I noticed also.. No band intros! Not sure if Meat forgot or if they were trying to keep on schedule.

Overall..this was a fun and exciting show!! The vocals were all strong and the band so tight and rockin'!

Thanks to Meat and NLE for a great time and a great show!!! Rock On!!

Kasim is holding a selection of ties and things that he was handed by audience members

Many thanks to Gina Martin for all the photos on this page. To view photos of other band members and Meat Loaf, click here