By Joanie Cox
I wasn’t born when Bat Out of Hell came out in 1977, yet it remains one of my favorite albums of all time. I grew up listening to it in my uncle Raul’s car and it was deemed sacred in our family like the Beatles’ White Album (my mother’s favorite) and Frank Sinatra’s, Nice ‘n’ Easy (my grandmother’s favorite). While my dream of seeing the Beatles or Sinatra live could never happen, on Sept. 14, 2005 at Hard Rock Live at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, I was able to see Meatloaf during his “Hair of the Dog” tour. He was recovering from a cold the night I saw him and I didn’t get to experience a full portion of Meatloaf. However on Sept. 1, Meatloaf returned to the venue. He was touring in support of his April 2010 release, Hang Cool Teddy Bear, which was produced by Rob Cavallo, who has produced music for Green Day, Fleetwood Mac, Kid Rock, Adam Lambert and Goo Goo Dolls.
The album is the most promising piece of work Meatloaf’s released in more than a decade featuring heavy metal tune “Song of Madness” and the infectiously catchy single, “Los Angeloser,” which seems to have more crossover appeal than Meatloaf’s typical rock opera extravaganzas. If you listen closely, there is a staccato element to it that is similar to the White Stripes’ “Hardest Button To Button.” It features the lyrics “Sing Hallelujah/My glass is half full/She pours me champagne/She drinks a Red Bull…She always looks fine/She’s gonna be the one to make it/And I’ll be two steps behind.” Personally, I think this should replace Natalie Cole’s “This Will Be (An Everlasting Love)” on the eHarmony commercials.
Meatloaf opened his set with “Hot Patootie” and then tore into the Bat Out of Hell goodie bag belting out “Bat Out of Hell,” “You Took the Words Right out of My Mouth” and “Two Out Of Three Ain’t Bad.” Meatloaf’s range seems to have weakened over the years, but you’ve got to at least give him props for not quitting. He’s toured in a wheelchair after breaking his leg, survived a rollover car crash, recovered from a heart attack, a nervous breakdown, vocal chord cysts and is currently battling the heart condition, Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome.
Meatloaf’s stage setup is nothing short of a Las Vegas spectacle with elaborate smoke, light and video shows, ginormous inflatable gargoyles and a busty blow up doll, which ascends over the stage during “Paradise By The Dashboard Light.” Performing that song live with Patti Russo, who is a longtime backup singer for Cher, was the highlight of the night. Meatloaf served up his opening act family style. His daughter Pearl Aday, who is married to Anthrax guitarist Scott Ian, performed with Ian onstage in a gritty set which included a solid and enjoyable cover of “Nutbush City Limits,” originally a rockin’ Ike and Tina Turner song. The overall show was just that–a show. It was entertaining and offered the crowd the slab of singles they had come for. Sweating and at times screaming out the higher notes on stage, Meatloaf still appears to be giving his all at 62. He’s making new music and he’s attempting to turn a new generation onto his stuff, so two out of three definitely ain’t bad.
