Kings Theatre, Glasgow
05-07-23
Everyone loves a bit of Meatloaf, right, but some more than others. My mate Andy, for example, who, in certain reveries, will always belt out a couple of numbers top blast, singing along to every lyrical nuance beside his nine-year old daughter – its quite a sight & sound to behold. So, yeah, with the Meatloaf Story rocking into town, I were like, I’m gonna take this chance to immerse myself in the music of our erstwhile song-writers, Meatloaf & Jim Steinman. Just over two years ago, they were both with us, but both these legends are now pass’d away & a show like this one has now become something of an elegy to their genius.
So what is the Meatloaf Story? Well, its simply a showbiz portfolio, lets say, of all the best Meatloaf tunes – including every one from the album Bat Out Of Hell – with a few of Steinman’s compositions for other performers thrown in, such as Bonnie Tyler’s ‘I Need A Hero.’ At the heart of proceedings is Steve Steinman & his extra-powerful voice, who, after appearing three decades ago on Stars In Their Eyes, performing as Meat Loaf, took that spirit on the road & his been there ever since, transporting & implanting the Meatloaf experience into the lives of hundreds of thousands of people across the world.
Around Steve is a gang of ‘rocktastic’ musicians, & two fiery backing singers, who escorted him of course, thro Meatloaf’s famous duets with Celine Dione & Cher. Around me was a crowd into which, song-by-song, was infused the buzz of the show, leading to us all standing up at the end singing & clapping along with euphoric phrenzie to the song, Bat Out Of Hell. Before then we had a plethora of costume changes, pyrotechnics, comedy monologues, & just an all round splendid time. Whether a Meatloaf fan or not, this show is quite a spectacle, & I figur’d we are all Meatloaf fans somewhere inside, for several of his songs are just immortal classics, & as Steve Steinman delivers them with polish’d & perfected aplomb we begin by mouthing the words, & end the proceedings by belting them out top blast just like my mate Andy & his daughter.
Damian Beeson Bullen
Mumble Music 