RI Performing Arts Center
To follow this by the incredible, kick ass, primal drum intro to Life Is A Lemon just kinda leaves me speechless. I mean, here I was just sort of floating along, wings flapping as lazily as a bat's wings can flap, following #1 when all of a sudden this primal drum beat kicks in and you could literally feel each and every beat in the air and the ride changes and you find yourself suddenly blown away! When Meat said he was in charge tonight he wasn't kidding!!
And of course, the ride didn't stop there. Whoever said that Meat's pipes weren't what they use to be was mistaken. I thought Meat was in top form, his voice and emotion tugging the strings of your heart in each song. And while he mentioned his favorites as he performed them, he gave 110% with each and every song performed.
When I practically stumbled out of The Providence Performing Arts Center (no, I'd not had any anything to drink!) I had to sit in my car a few minutes, catch my breath and recollect myself before I could drive. This show completely blew me away. Emotions experienced covered the full spectrum, the show was intense, incredible and exhausting in a very good way.
This was the third time I've seen Meat, the first being in '88 during that period where he was (at his admition) at his best and having the most fun. The show on November 9th left me feeling the same way I felt that very first time I saw Meat, very up close, in a college gym where everybody was blown away by him.
Thanks Meat, for an incredible experience!
Patti and Pearl looked very distinquished at this concert in black evening dresses (Patti had worn one at Erie too). All the rest of the band and Meat Loaf were predominately in black (John was back to his Yankees top!) except Kasim who wore his usual black trousers with a light blue loose shirt.
I'm not sure if it was because I was in the front row of the balcony or whether it was actually the case but Kasim's microphone didn't seem to be so loud tonight which I thought spoilt the sound as Patti and Pearl's drowned him out a bit.
The people in Providence asked better questions (a story on this tour is getting to be very rare) than at other venues so possibly they were more fans and it was great to hear Left in the Dark again. Unfortunately the woman who played "the straddler" in Paradise by the Dashboard Light didn't seem to even know the song! As always, they rehearsed her saying "Stop right there!" but she didn't have a clue where to put the emphasis! So much so that in the actual song, Meat just stood starring at her with a totally bemused look on his face!
The You Took the Words choir got really carried away tonight! As usual, they started with three people on stage singing and then Meat named some more people to go up on stage but many more went up too so there were about 30 people! Several of the girls started dancing too which Meat and Kasim found hilarious!
It was really great to hear For Crying Out Loud again after being absent from a few concerts. Meat dedicated it to Michael who was over from Germany as this was his 105 concert of Meat's that he had seen! Meat also said that it was his own personal favourite. Earlier in the show he'd said that Home By Now / No Matter What was his second favourite and Rock and Roll Dreams was his third.