My other criticism of tonight was that the sound was diabolical -
certainly the worst I've heard at a concert as Meat's voice wasn't loud
enough and there was a definite echo! Maybe it was just where I was
sitting (at the end of an aisle in the eighth row) but perhaps that was
why people were talking so much - certainly the sound last night (I was
more central) was fine. In Home By Now I could hear three distinct
sounds - Meat's singing, the backing tape and, twice as loud, John's
drumming. Despite these two complaints, I enjoyed the concert immensely
(and I could see Kasim really clearly too!).
Virtually the first question anyone asked Meat Loaf was about the Jim Steinman song Who Needs the Young? (Thanks to Diane for providing that title for me!). Meat started to sing some of it and asked Tom to play the keyboards in it but said that Tom had never even heard the song before! Fortunately Kasim came to the rescue and played some of it on the piano!
During Hot Patootie, Meat went into the audience to find someone to sing it with him and then she became the piano girl for You took the Words before she was replaced by her husband. When the Meat Loaf Cleveland Pops Choir took the stage a young tot came up too so she sat with Patti and then Pearl showed her how to play the tambourine!
We then had numerous and inane questions ("how should you talk to teenagers" and "do you remember me saying something at a concert in 1990?"!!) that were more about his acting than songs so they didn't get a chance to sing until Meat just announced that he was going to sing Two Outta Three! As he probably realised that things were slipping, he just asked someone about "that" which lead into the inevitable Anything for Love. At the last few concerts after the "screwing around" line, Meat has been playing with his microphone in his pocket but tonight when he removed it from his pocket it flew out of his hand into the audience! A roadie bought on a new mike but then that one wouldn't work - all in the dramatic part of the song!
As Meat reckoned that it was Cleveland that first started playing the Bat Out of Hell album (sorry to sound cynical but I've heard him say similar things in other cities), he decided to sing For Crying Out Loud. Of course he got a standing ovation but unfortunately it was only the half hearted version of the song - I just hope we go back to the wonderful full bodied version after he's had this next week off.
The Paradise couple tonight were the best we've had on the tour so far! On their questionnaires they had both said that not only would they kiss in front of 3,000 people but that they would do it naked so even the practice kiss was passionate! As soon as the Phil Rizzuto part started, they were at it like rabbits - groping and all! It was fortunate that they reached the "Stop right there" part as Meat was about to interrupt them because of where the guy was trying to kiss! Meat even poured water over them at one point! As Patti was laughing so much, she even missed her cue!
