The short review of Kasim Sulton's opening set was that it was brilliant. For the more detailed review click here.

I’m not sure if Manchester is particularly hilly or whether the MEN Arena was just built into the side of a mountain but as we entered the building we had to walk up a load of steps (I’m talking 60 or so) and then the door that takes you through to the venue itself is actually right up in the nosebleed seats and you have to walk all the way back down to the floor (or us lucky ones with floor seats do). It’s that high that they have oxygen masks suspended from the ceiling and your ears pop on the way down!

On the way in there were once again signs about being careful of flying pucks so it appears that either UK is secretly becoming a country of ice hockey fanatics or this is in fact the Meat Loaf Ice Hockey Arena World Tour! Unfortunately it did mean that the floor was bitterly cold….even though my feet kept moving all the concert, they were still frozen by the end of the concert - it’ll be boots on Sunday for me!

Kasim’s set started only about 8 minutes late at 7.38pm so Meat Loaf was wheeled out on stage at about 8.15pm. The concert lasted about two and a half hours and it was a good concert (I far preferred it to Belfast) but the set list is now 3 songs shorter than what it was this time last week! Personally I go to a rock concert to hear music ….if I want to see someone trying to be funny, I’ll go to see a comedian.

After the morbid beginning (that’s actual slightly more realistic now as when Patti and CC can be heard saying that he’s having a cardiac arrest they are actually still on stage) and Do It (the four billowing ghosts were there again), we finally got around to the live music again in Life Is A Lemon (although the recorded “ohhs” and “ahhs” are still there). This tour has the shortest version of this song that I’ve heard (which I think is a shame as I really like the song) but it still always gets the crowd really going. Tonight during this song, Kasim seemed to be having a bit of trouble with his trousers as he kept seeing to be doing something with the waistband! (Or maybe it was with his power pack thing?)

I really like the beginning of the concert as we have Life Is A Lemon, Mercury Blues (three whistles tonight!) and Lawyers Guns and Money which are all rocking songs and gives Meat Loaf less opportunity to waffle on. Unfortunately the start of DeadRinger For Love starts the stage antics (plus he threw some of that “money” into the audience during Lawyers) but that song also has that really great bass part when Kasim, Randy, Paul and CC stand together.

The Randy / Meat intro into Testify probably lasted almost five minutes today before they play another part of a taped recording and then the live music started. Junior roadie Meat Loaf didn’t do his job properly tonight as he forgot to bring the extra microphone over to the middle of the stage so Kasim had to sing the first verse in his own microphone (CC was wrapped up in Meat Loaf’s arms singing into her microphone at this point). Meat Loaf then indicated to the extra mike so Kasim had to run to it in time to sing the second verse!

It seemed to me that You Took The Words Right Outta My Mouth took up half an hour or so as they played the intro and then Meat Loaf decided that then would be a good time to get out a newspaper and go on about an article in there (complete with “hold my microphone Kasim” while he was searching for the page!). It was something about one of the two finalists on Pop Idol being a big girl and comparing her size to Meat Loaf.

He then eventually did start the song (after checking with Kasim that they were singing Hot Summer Night) but once he got to the part when the audience are lit up and sing, Meat Loaf went dashing off to some seats in the side of the venue and sat in one next to a guy who he reckoned wasn’t singing. I’ve seen him do something similar on other tours but this went on and on and ended up with him giving his poor victim a big kiss full on the lips. He then got Kasim to start the singing again (wonderful!) and eventually completed the song. (During a lot of the time that Meat Loaf was off stage, Kasim was flicking guitar picks into the audience again so it wouldn’t surprise me if he ran out again!) There were some amusing parts of the concert (for example when he spoke about Justin Timberlake’s concert that he attended and how he used a headset microphone “not that he sang live into it”!) but it seemed to me that there was also a lot of wasted time on stage which could have been used for an extra song or three.

Couldn’t Have Said It Better was great tonight and Frying Pan started off well but then Patti went off stage before the end of the song and it’s at the end that her voice is really needed to add to the vocals. Tonight they had problems with one of the “flames” initially (it was working fine in Do It) and Meat Loaf got the audience to sing the word “fire” a few times. It was during this song (after Patti had gone off stage) that Kasim spoke to Paul Crook and that was when I saw Paul mouth the word “Paradise” a few times to some one off stage so I had this sinking feeling that they were going to drop Did I Say That and unfortunately I was correct.

They then went straight into Paradise but thankfully tonight they omitted that silly “guess the animal” part and went straight to the kissing bit….the “argument” at the end wasn’t too long either thankfully.

It was then time for all the introductions (only John’s had changed from Belfast as his had something about proctology in it) and Rule Britannia and the spurts of confetti - I got covered tonight for the first time!

They then left the stage but returned for the Anything For Love / Bat Out Of Hell finale. It was a nice long band bow tonight (after the three Union Jacks appeared) and then they left the stage!

I remember every thing...............

I remember every little thing as if it happened only yesterday!

(well actually it wasn't quite yesterday it was a couple of days ago wasn't it? So, that's not much of a memory there!)

I was barely seventeen and Meat once killed a boy with a Fender guitar....

It's true I tell you! I was barely seventeen, and the boy Meat killed was me! The boy was dead but the man who was alive was a man who had over the course of one evening been transformed into a living breathing Meat Loaf concert fan. I was a Meat fan before that night almost 20 years ago, but after that night in Harrogate on the Bad Attitude tour I had the Rock n Roll soul of Meat Loaf coursing through my veins.

Until Wednesday night I thought that the entrance Meat made on the Bad Attitude tour all those years ago could never be beaten, the black back drop, the clenched fist, the explosion of pyrotechnics and guitars and the HUGE motorbike revealed with the drums and keyboards perched on the fuel tank and saddle.

But the appearance of Meat last night, more than ably assisted by Patti and CC (boy those two should be available on the National Health Service!!!!) at the very least equals that entrance. The words "you've got a hell of a lot to learn about rock and roll" echo around the huge hanger like building that is the MEN arena, and the band appear all dressed in black, wearing masks and gloves and carrying instruments that all glow under the flourescent lights that the stage is bathed in. The concert starts with "Do It", a song that comes over far far better live than it does on the CD.

Strainght into Life is a Lemon, with some powerful guitar work from new boy Paul Crook - a man who appears possessed as he literally leaps around the stage. Mercury Blues and Lawyers Guns and Money swiftly follow, the second new boy guitarist Randy Flowers showing his rocky bluesy edged skills during the former.

Deadringer For Love follows - always a big hit with the crowds in the UK and tonight was no exception, the prolonged introduction allowing Meat to "ham it up" with the girls (and with Patti and C.C. on stage, face who wouldn't take that chance?).

We're back to the new album for the next song, an extended and excellent blues gospel introduction featuring just Meat and Randy allows the band the chance for a quick ciggie break, before they all reappear for the song in question. Again this is another song of the new album that gets even better live, I love it on the album, but live it's even better - perhaps one that's set to be a stable of Meats shows in the future - that's if you beleive there will be any more after this tour.

We're into All Revved Up, where during the intro Meat shows his acting skills by swigging from a can of Boddingtons and claiming to enjoy it - the man deserves an Oscar for that performance - trust me on that one ;o) All Revved up is followed by Took The Words, although Meat manages to forget which song they're about to perform after ranting about an article that had appeared in one of Wednesdays papers. Thankfully Kasim was on hand to remind him. The song endds with all but one of the audience singing along, so Meat is in the crowd like a flash to castigate the poor bloke, and embarass him into singing.

Once Meat has had his breather in the audience he's back on stage for Couldn't Have Said It Better - a good song, but to me it didn't come over as well as it could on Wednesday. Meats voice did seem to falter during the middle of the show and then pick up again towards the end. Hardly surprising considering what he's been through I guess?

We're then into Out Of The Frying Pan, and meats voice is picking up again - spurred on by the frenetic and frantic guitar playing from Paul. And then it's Paradise - another concert standard for Meat. His voice has fully picked up again now, almost as if he was saving himnself for the big finish.

The band are introduced one by one and then they're gone......

.... but not for long, to an endless stream of applause from the crowd they're back for IDAFL, with Patti resplendant on the floating couch, and then it's the highlight of the show, bit the highlight that is always tinged with the "it's all ending now" thoughts.... Bat Out Of Hell. Then they're gone...... over 2 and a half hours have passed in the blink of an eye.

I've been lucky enough to see Meat a fairly large number of times over the years, so I've seen a wide variety of performances, both in terms of length and quality, but the one thing that has rarely varied is commitment! I've seen him perform with the beginnings and end of a heavy cold, with a broken leg and not long after a heart operation, everytime he's performed beyond the limit of what you'd think capable, sometimes yes the quality is below par - his voice may be off or he may not be hitting the notes, but at the end of the day he's only human isn't he?.

Now a 50+ yr old Meat recovering from a heart scare and an operation may not be able to give as much as a 100% healthy Meat at the age of 35, that's a biological given isn't it? But it doesn't stop him entertaining and giving what he can, and in fact giving more than lesser entertainers would give under the same circumstances. The quality of the show wasn't on a par with some of the shows I've seen in the past, but I prefer to try and judge each on eon it's own merits, and the reaction Meat and the band got form the crowd last night was enough alone to prove how good it was.

Row B of somewhere as aircraft hanger like as the MEN arena isn't the best place to HEAR the show you're too close to the speakers to get a proper sound balance or level or anything, but when you're that close seeing is far more important. All the interactions between the band and Meat show how comfortable they all are together, how well they work as a unit. They're tight, but not too polished. They're professional, but they retain that rawness that gives them the edge!

Paul is quite clearly the BEST lead guitarist that Meat has ever worked with live I reckon - certainly he's the best I've seen work with Meat. Watching his fingers fly over the frets and strings defies belief. Last year in Liverpool I thought I'd heard the best ever version of the mototcycle guitar solo in BOOH, last night I realised I hadn't heard it in Liverpool I'd heard it in Manchester.

Randy is pretty darn awesome too, he adds a great gutsy bluesy elemnent to the live sound. His playing during the gospel/blues intro to Testify was superb, and his reaction to the headbutt he got from Meat at one stage was a classic.

Kasim. Well what can I say? The man is a god (depsite the dodgy barnett ) and his accuracy with a plectrum is pretty good too - I have a small mark right between my eyes! (and a Kasim plectrum to add to my collection) Thanks Kas!!!!

John and Mark. as great as ever, in a way they're so good to have to strain to notice that they're there! Which is the sign on a well organised band in my opinion.

Patti - words fail me - she supports Meat, she's his main foil on stage, she's a hot babe... but did I notice a huge shiny diamond on the third finger of her left hand? Has she spurned me?

Well, if she has, then I must turn my attention to CC. WOW!!!!!!!!!!!! (pant pant pant pant pant) - I seriously think I may be in lust. but I'll wait till Sunday to verify that.

The evening started very badly for me, in my excitment to get out of the house I managed to walk out the front door and slam it behind me, leaving me separated from my car and house keys by an inch and a half of solid wood or some cavity wall brick work!! Whoops! Still some ingenious work by myself and a helpful neighbour (where did he get those sort of housebreaking skills from? Should I consider moving?) and 40 minutes later I was on my way.

As a result I missed all but the last song from Kasim, and didn't manage to sell the spare ticket I had ended up with nor did I get a chance to hammer the credit card at the merchandise stall - that'll have to wait until Monday All in all - a great night, Meat wasn't on the best form I've ever seen him, but for the hard of understanding let me reiterate that that fact did NOT stop him from giving his all and entertaining everyone for the evening,.

.... looking forward to Sunday nights repeat performance and hoping the dropped 3 songs are back in the set list.