In terms of rock stars, Meat Loaf was unique. A larger than life character whose best music took in elements of hard rock, light opera, pop and prog to create a musical theatre that became the soundtrack for a generation of fans in the late 70s and beyond.  So much of Meat’s greatness was enhanced by his collaborators, of course, and when working with Jim Steinman, members of Todd Rundgren’s Utopia and Roy Bittan of Springsteen’s E Street Band on the world dominating ‘Bat Out of Hell’ album, he was a genuine force of nature.

History has shown that it wouldn’t always be the case, and when Meat fell out of favour in the late 80s, he did so in a way that seemed almost as dramatic as the theatrics of his rock star peak.  Following a disastrous tour of Ireland, he managed to rebuild slowly, and by 1993, his ‘Bat Out of Hell II’ collaboration with Steinman saw him top the charts in twenty eight countries.  It never quite reached the fever pitch or sales figures of the original ‘Bat’, but it represented the kind of success that many rock stars could only dream of.

Here’s a great, intimate show, capturing Meat at a very small club in CT, during his wilderness years. The trauma from Ireland now a memory, and ‘Bat II’ yet to be a reality, it shows “Meat Loaf The Showman” in a fairly relaxed environment doing what he did best.

Love him or hate him, there’ll never be another Meat.

Meat Loaf: 1947-2022