Meat Loaf
Glasgow SECC, 18th May 2007
Meat Loaf's previous tour was supposed to be his last, and yet here he is again - and as he lumbers onto the stage, looking sweaty, disorientated and very, very old in full '70s get-up complete with flouncy shirt and wig, I can't help thinking that perhaps he should have let it lie.
He can barely sustain a note as he launches into 'Paradise By The Dashboard Light', an odd choice of opener, making you feel as if you've stumbled into the gig halfway through, plus the age gap between him and his duet partner is starting to look a little grim. He's carried through 'Took The Words Right Out Of My Mouth' and a selection of hits from Bat 2 (including 'Life Is A Lemon', 'Out Of The Frying Pan' and 'I Would Do Anything For Love') by the excellent musicians he's surrounded himself with and the not inconsiderable vocal talents of his backing singers. Oh my God: has Meat lost it?
But somewhere down the line, things change. Maybe it's because his voice has finally warmed up, or maybe it's because it's the 'second favourite song he's ever recorded', but during a heartfelt rendition of 'Objects In The Rear View Mirror', the magic takes over, and we're back in that parallel Steinman world of lost boys and golden girls, shimmering highways and chilly sands, roaring engines and broken dreams.
Which means that the highlight of the show arrives unexpectedly in the form of the new material from Bat Out Of Hell 3 (most of which has of course been written with the Mighty Loaf's current, somewhat more limited vocal range in mind). 'Blind As A Bat' is huge and emotional; 'If It Ain't Broke Break It' is highly entertaining, as enormous inflatable caricatures of the band pop up on stage; 'In The Land Of The Pig' is powerful and chilling, accompanied by images from Animal Farm, Metropolis and Logan's Run on the big screens, and 'It's All Coming Back To Me Now', with vocalist Marion Raven putting in a special guest appearance, is just gorgeous. And then of course there's 'Bat Out Of Hell' itself, and nothing beats the excitement of seeing that mighty song performed live, all guns and pyros blazing.
Finishing as bizarrely as he started – with a cover of 'Gimme Shelter', no less – Meat ends the show on a feelgood high that's as big as his girth. My fears are allayed – Meat hasn't lost it, he simply mislaid it for half an hour or so. And once he finds it, no one rocks like Meat.
