Just after 8.00pm (the listed start time) people started a bit of chanting and then groaned as each new video started! When they blacked out all the lights, there was a massive cheer! It was then that “Mr Kasim Sulton” was announced and there was just a deathly silence!

The more I think about this, the more I admire Kasim. He must know that people have been standing there for almost two hours to see Meat Loaf, he must know that people are there to hear loud rock music and not a guy with an acoustic guitar, he must know that lots of people will be thinking about whether to go out and get another drink or whether to stay… and yet every evening, he walks out on his own, confidentially introduces himself, plays HIS music for 15 minutes or so (and makes himself more fans). That must just take so much nerve!

The woman in front of me tonight was a prime example. As Kasim walked on stage, I heard her shout out “get him off, we want Meat Loaf”! At the end of Kasim’s first song she was clapping him, at the end of his second song when he mentioned Quid Pro Quo she repeated the name to her friend and said that she must buy it, at the end of Kasim’s third song she was actually cheering him! I was just standing there with my mouth open at this point!

As I said, there was a deathly silence when Kasim (wearing leather trousers!) first walked on stage. Thankfully that probably only lasted for (a very long) second or so and then people clapped him. He shouted out a “Hello Belfast!” and introduced himself before launching into Don’t Hold Me Back! Kasim’s voice was exceptionally good tonight. His voice was very clear with not even a touch of huskiness and he sang the note after both strong “Strong”s perfectly - it was just wonderful to hear!

Kasim next mentioned Quid Pro Quo and played Before She Was Gone from it. Tonight he sang a lot of the “My xxx is” ….. far more than he normally does.

As Kasim was obviously in the centre of the stage, I spent most of this song watching the video screens. We’ve come to the conclusion that it’s the same guys who do it every concert and they obviously really understand Kasim’s music and the way they cut from shot to another is just brilliant. I did especially enjoy the side-on long slow pan from his foot tapping on the ground, slowly up his leg, past his bum, up his arm and shoulder to his face and up to his hair!

Finally Kasim sang Sacrifice and that song really went down well with the crowd. Unfortunately he (again) had a bit of trouble getting his guitar perfectly in tune once he had added his capon …it’s a shame that they don’t sell guitars with capons already added!

It must be difficult for Kasim to decide which songs to sing. He only has three songs (or 4 in Berlin) to try to impress people with his music. Don’t Hold Me Back is a great loud opener that emphasises his voice, Before She Was Gone appeals to the more mature audience and Sacrifice is a great closer as it shows off Kasim’s guitar playing and it’s a fast tune and yet if people really listen to the lyrics, they are very thought-provoking. Probably 95% of the audience only ever go to one Meat Loaf concert per tour but at these venues where they are playing more than once, there will be people who will be attending more than one so it was interesting that Kasim chose to change his set list at the second Birmingham concert.

(It makes it more interesting for me too! Put it this way, I’d arranged to text someone with his set list after he had played but as I’m so slow at texting, I had already typed in what I knew he was going to play before I even got to Belfast! It doesn’t help that one of the songs that Kasim usually plays is my least favourite of all his songs too.)

All to soon for me, it was time for Kasim to leave the stage. He certainly left to far more applause then when he walked on stage and a lot of cheers too! As I was quite near the front and not many people were taking photos around me, I didn’t take any tonight….plus I was worried that the sight of those leather trousers may have fogged up a few computer monitors!

Photo by Christopher Morrow