Some of my most profound and eternal memories are singing along to “Bat Out of Hell” on cassette with my mother and brother in the family mini-van. In my late teens, Meat Loaf returned to pop-icon status, and this time instead of songs from before my time, they were songs of my time. Meat Loaf and his preferred songwriter Jim Steinman were able to live in my past and present at the same time. Somehow it took me another 20 years to finally see Meat Loaf perform live, but it was inevitable they would be part of my future.
Last night Meat Loaf played in Beverly Hills at the Saban Theatre, a small converted movie theater, which is a great place to see a show. Meat Loaf surrounded himself by a top-tier 7 piece accompaniment of industry musicians. The music sounded great. Pure vintage rock and roll, both guitarists Paul Cook and Randy Flowers could shred, they seemed to take a lesson from the Rolling Stones as they flowed back and forth between who played the lead. Justin Avery on piano could pound the keys of his white baby grand. The Saxophone player Dave Luther filled the tunes with the smooth flow only a sax can bring. John Micelli kept a booming steady beat on the drums and Danny Miranda kept the rhythm solid on Bass. Cian Coey provided the female vocals, more on her in a bit. The entire band sang backing vocals as well.
Meat Loaf had great stage presence, but what he didn’t have was his voice. He was loud and off key and just sounded like the guy that can’t sing but really loves that song at karaoke. It was a bit disappointing. Even when he spoke to the audience between songs you could here his voice was struggling. On the plus side he was mostly aware of it and the band harmonized plenty of vocals to make up for it.
Now don’t get me wrong, I still thought the show was great. If you’re a fan, it was great hearing and singing along to the overly dramatic songs that are the core ingredients to Meat Loaf’s recipe for success. But the real treat, the bacon mac and cheese, the creamy mashed potatoes covered in piping hot gravy, is the performance of Cian Coey. Everything she did on stage was a show stealer. She must come from a theatrical background, because every step, every motion was a precise and perfect calculation. And her voice was phenomenal. Meat Loaf’s biggest hits are duets so its no surprise he has top-tier performer in this role on the tour, and she owns it in every way possible. The back and fourth in Paradise by the Dashboard Lights was both physical and vocal, and topped off with costumes: Meat’s high school letter jacket and Cian’s cheerleader outfit. The chemistry between Meat and Cian was present in every song, and she knows when the audience wants more of her and isn’t afraid to give it to them.
I would have been happy to have heard “Bat out of Hell” played in its entirety, and I got most of it, with You Took the Words Right Out of My Mouth, All Reved Up With No Place to Go, Paradise by the Dashboard Light, Bat Out of Hell, and Two Out of Three Ain’t Bad. That’s 5 of 7 tracks from the album. They encored with Two Out of Three Ain’t Bad and I’d Do Anything for Love before closing the show with a medley of Boneyard, Freebird (yes a band played Freebird on stage, just the rocking three guitar attack with Meat himself slinging the third axe) and reprise of All Revved Up.
In conclusion this show was something only a true fun could appreciate, but most of the people in attendance were true fans. What Meat lacked in vocal stamina his supporting cast led by Cian Coey more than made up for, but Meat Loaf’s name is on the bill and you can’t help but wishing he sounded as powerful as he did on the album, instead, he sounded like he was the leftover Meat Loaf from last weekend, still in the fridge a couple days past its prime.
Los Angeles, US