F R I D AY, N O V E M B E R 0 3 , 2 0 0 6Bat On Broadway!!I've been a fan of Meat Loaf since I was a kid in grade school, watchingthat video for "Paradise By The Dashboard Lights" on MTV again andagain and again. (In the early days, I swear whoever had to run themachine late at night when they didn't have many videos would justthrow it on whenever they had to take a bathroom break -- that or theRush concert, which was also in heavy rotation for the first few years ofthe channel.) I loved the album, too, of course, first with pureturn-it-up pleasure and then perhaps with a snotty sense of irony whenI couldn't decide whether it was bad/good or good/bad and then finallyrealizing it was trashy teenage pop bursting with high melodrama causethat's how teens felt and that the musicianship was top-notch and thelyrics delightfully over-the-top.</p><p> Meat Loaf and creator/songwriter JimSteinman were serious, yes, but they also had a sense of humor. (Thelyric "And can't you see my faded Levis bursting apart?" may be themost honest, accurate and hilarious line about being a teenage boy inall of rock and roll.) Is it any more preposterous than the epic PhilSpector death ballads they clearly took to heart? Nope.</p><p> I've since grownto love Jim Steinman in all his many incarnations and now, finally,with Bat Out Of Hell III hitting stores, I got to see Mr.</p><p> Loaf in concertat the Palace on Broadway.The show began at such a fever pitch, I was afraid it would skid off theroad from its own reckless momentum.</p><p> As my friend Jamie put it, "Hismusic is all encores!" Indeed, he sang a quick burst of "You Took TheWords Right Out Of My Mouth" and "All Revved Up With No Place ToGo" followed by the complete "Paradise By The Dashboard Lights." Thevixen singing with him was a sexy little brunette in a cheerleader outfitand Loaf prowled the stage acting with all the Grand Guignol abandonof a silent film great -- head-butting the guitarists, ogling the ladieswith a feverish, frightened abandon and singing his heart out, just likein that video.</p><p> Actually, Meat Loaf paced himself well during the show,making full use of the instrumental breaks and a stage crowded withbackup singers and a string orchestra to rest his voice.</p><p> Maybe with abetter sound mix (he sometimes got overwhelmed) and a better setting(you really don't want to be seated during a Meat Loaf concert butthat's inevitable in a Broadway house) it would have been a classicnight.</p><p> As it was the crazy mix of people (including one guy all aloneNext Blog»sal1mineo@hotmail.comSEARCH BLOG FLAG BLOGFOLLOW BLOGP O P S U R F I N G .</p><p> C O MS U R F I N G T H E WAV E S O F P O P U L A R C U LT U R EB Y M I C H A E L G I LT Z & F R I E N D SPOPSURFING.COM: Bat On Broadway!!http://popsurfing.blogspot.com/2006/11/bat-on-broadway.html 1 of 37/28/09 4:09 PMFAV O R I T E L I N K SAmericablogFive O'Clock Lightning baseball blogDeep Pop -- Lori Lakin's BlogThe Back Page -- Jason Page on ESPNRadioCine-Blog -- George Robinson's BlogDocuments On Art & Cinema - DarylChin's BlogBrucie G's Wondrous Blog OfAdventure and Mystery -- BruceGreenspan's BlogB L O G A R C H I V E▼ 2009 (17)▼ July (3)1939 -- The Greatest Year ForMoviesSwimming Bans Those Hi-TechSuits!Best Movies Of The Year -- TheMaster List► June (3)► May (1)► March (2)► February (1)► January (7)► 2008 (86)► 2007 (781)► 2006 (2412)► 2005 (5)C O N T R I B U TO R SBiboyMichael in New YorkAaron POPSURFING.COM: Bat On Broadway!!http://popsurfing.blogspot.com/2006/11/bat-on-broadway.html 2 of 37/28/09 4:09 PMPOPSURFING.COM: Bat On Broadway!!http://popsurfing.blogspot.com/2006/11/bat-on-broadway.html 3 of 37/28/09 4:09 PM
