Meat Loaf & The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra
Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne, Australia
February 20, 2004

Meat's music director and bass player, Kasim Sulton, provided the evening's support. Having introduced himself, Kasim said the band had been rehearsing all week and that the audience were to be apart of a very special evening. Showcasing tunes from his solo album, Kasim's talent and dignified charm was well received from the 12,000 capacity crowd.

Without time to spit (an Australian term translating to 'in a very short time') the house lights dimmed and war drums began to fill the arena with an intensity that reverberated through one's solar plexus pushing a lump to the throat. Meat made his way to the stage and began to stalk it from end to end like a cougar in a cage too small. Clearly this is Meat's way of psyching himself up. How he gets into character, how he gets into the zone. He points...the left hand side of the arena erupts with applause...he points to the right...applause. Amongst the prevailing war drums, the contest between left and right continues with Meat not so much the conductor, more akin to the judge, jury and executioner.

In a supernova of pyrotechnics, the stage explodes, the curtain drops and the opening chorus of LIFE IS A LEMON AND I WANT MY MONEY BACK resounds through Rod Laver Arena. The vocals are crisp and the band is playing tight, damn tight. Despite the intimidating watchful gaze of a myriad of cameras recording the event for a forthcoming DVD, the band share a confidence gained from countless shows on the road.

MERCURY BLUES, the hidden track from the current release is followed by Meat exercising his theatrical prowess with DEAD RINGER FOR LOVE, sharing vocal duties with crowd favorite Patti Russo.The ferocious delivery of the opening three numbers sets the scene for this evening's night of entertainment, save the sterile corporatized pop for those who know no better, tonight is a night for those who will 'never...ever stop rocking'.

The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and Melbourne Boys Choir joined the band for TESTIFY. Under the conduction of Kevin Levenson this orchestra is not the type for sitting in the shade of a gazebo playing Bach to a park full of chicken and champaign picnic goers. Having arranged and conducted for the likes of Roger Daltry, Alice Cooper, Paul Rodgers, Peter Frampton and Eric Burdon, Levenson is well versed in threading classical music through the torn and frayed fabric of rock.

ALL REVVED UP AND NO PLACE TO GO saw the entrance of a troupe of scantily clad, somewhat provocatively dancing young nubile vixens. As my wife will be reading this, the less said the better and I respectfully request that you leave it to your own imagination. I trust you will understand.

Without any fear of the audience not coming to the party, it was crowd participation time with YOU TOOK THE WORDS RIGHT OUT OF MY MOUTH (HOT SUMMER NIGHT). With all cameras on the audience, who dared not sing? Originally a standard at every 18th and 21st birthday party I dare say it's probably now a standard at every 40th. If you don't know the words to this one, you don't have a pulse.

Another costume change prepared Patti for sharing the vocal duties on COULDN'T HAVE SAID IT BETTER. Having worked together for over 10 years, Meat and Patti (I'm not going to work any puns in, I'm sure it been done countless times) have a superb stage chemistry.The arrangements and production on this song floored me. Sulton and Levenson certainly deserved an extra potato on their supper plates after the show. It's great when a plan comes together.

Dear reader, I respectfully submit that I take a brief intermission in proceedings to address the issue of Meat's voice. Let me say friends and neighbours, it was mighty fine. There are elements out there that would have expected 52 year old Meat to match their 1977 pressing of Bat Out Of Hell note for note. That folks did not happen. Then again, nor did it happen on his 1978 tour. What did happen was Meat hammering out two and a half hours of powerful vocals. Yep, he is 52 and yessum he did undergo heart surgery in November but you wouldn't have known from his performance on the night. 30 years ago Meat could have learned Italian and taken up a career in tax evasion. He didn't and rock drew the long straw.

Ever found yourself indifferent towards the studio cut of a song and then taken a 180 degree turn after hearing it live? That's how I sit with OUT OF THE FRYING PAN (AND INTO THE FIRE). It happened to me back on the Bat 2 tour and tonight, just over 10 years later, it happened again, the solace of symmetry. Perhaps this is a band favorite.

Meat informs the crowd that Australia was the first country where I'D DO ANYTHING FOR LOVE (BUT I WON'T DO THAT) reached number one. I trust you can appreciate that such a comment has far great pulling power than 'Melbourne, no one rocks like you guys'. The audience applauded it's own good taste and the band proceeded to deliver one of the stand out tracks of the night. It was at this juncture that Patti got to live out her Enid Blyton inspired childhood fantasies by going for a ride on her levitating purple velvet sofa.

Next on the agenda was some deadly serious stuff. We knew it was deadly serious stuff because a stool was brought for Meat to sit on. Meat announced he was going to perform a song for the first time since 1978, FOR CRYING OUT LOUD. Suffice to say, the audience did their own crying out loud. Considered by many to be Bat Out Of Hell's pieced résistance, Meat was gonna give it a go and by his own reckoning it was either going come off a rousing success or a dismal failure. He admitted to having snippets of the lyrics written on the floor below him, he also wished that they had been in larger hand writing. There was a touching sincerity in Meat's introduction that solicited an almost paternal-like desire from the audience that he pull it off. And, pull it off he did friends and neighbours. Mark Alexander on piano cut the mustard in 'Act One'. Some of Meat's finest moments have been with a solo piano accompaniment, this was no exception. 'Act Two' saw the baton passed to Levenson and co who brought it on home in one of the most awe-inspiring and overwhelming crescendos this humble scribe is convinced he will ever witness. As the dust was settling, the smiles exchanged between Meat and Kasim said it all.

The ten or so minute theatre that is PARADISE BY THE DASHBOARD LIGHT has been a fait accompli for a Meat Loaf concerts for 25 years and to his credit, it was delivered with such freshness you would have sworn it was just picked from the tree. No scene by scene account here people, I save that for the DVD.

Walk off.

12,000 strong standing ovation.

BAT OUT OF HELL, delivered likewise.

With the diametrically opposed punk, progressive rock and disco somehow existing in an unnatural equilibrium, the late seventies were a twilight zone for rock. Yet despite the diversity of those times, Meat was an aberration. By all accounts he still is, with 'still' being the operative word. In 2004, how many punks, progressive rockers or disco queens are here 'still'.