Review by Mike B:
Thirty years after Meat Loaf’s debut album, Bat Out of Hell, the performer known as ‘Meat’ to everyone is still performing. Despite recent health issues, Marvin Aday continues to tour and perform to packed concert houses in Europe, the UK and the US.

This was Meat Loaf’s third appearance at this “shed” style venue located in the heart of New Hampshire’s Lakes region. The show, starting a half hour later than scheduled, still provided a true *show*, which is what Meat Loaf concerts are all about.

As the band took the darkened stage to the sound of “All Revved Up”, giant inflated “musician towers shot up form in front of and behind the stage, rocking back and forth playing instruments and singing. Luckily these were deflated after the first song as they did block a lot of views!

Meat Loaf’s band is capably led by songwriter/musician/musical director Kasim Sulton. This year’s touring band is identical to the 2005 band, with the addition of David Luther on saxophone and 2nd keyboards and new singer Aspen Miller replacing Patti Russo, Meat Loaf’s longtime female lead singer.

As always, the band was tight and never-faltering. Kasim was constantly on the alert to follow Meat’s cues and signs on when to extend songs, cut them short or change to different musical sections. Although he seems to genuinely enjoy himself while playing bass on stage, Kasim is also hard at work, too!

Highlights of the show included Life Is A Lemon and the now-classic You Took the Words Right Out of My Mouth which had Meat directing the audience in a sing-along for quite a while.

During Paradise by the Dashboard Light, Meat does his “schtick” with Aspen, although her voice cannot compete with what the more-experienced Russo used to offer to the show. At one point, while the rest of the band has vacated the stage, except for drummer John Miceli, Meat takes off his jacket and vest and just as he did a bat (a real one, not a fake) somehow appeared flying over the stage. My wife thought it was intentional, but neither Meat or Aspen, under the bright lights made any notice of it. Meanwhile, the poor creature swooped back and forth over the stage and the first few rows of the audience and when it swooped down over the drum kit, Miceli practically fell backwards getting away from it!

As always Meat puts everything he has into the theatrics of the show and seems exhausted by the end. His voice has suffered greatly over the years, but he still tries!

The 3-song encore included Black Betty, Mercury Blues and Gimmee Shelter, Meat introducing the band members during this song, with Kasim being introduced as ‘Kasim "Bad Boy" Sulton. A fun show – an entertaining show – at a great venue.

Review by SueW:
It’s my aim to see Kasim in all 50 each state of the US (although I doubt I’ll see him in Alaska!) and this was the first time that I’ve seen him in New Hampshire so that’s 27 out of the 50 ticked off! Meadowbrook was out in the wilds of nowhere but was in a really pretty location although I was disappointed that the lake wasn’t visible from the audience. It was well organised too as there was loads of parking (free too!) and within 5 minutes of returning to my car after the gig, I was out on the main road! Before I left, as I was walking past the merchandise stall, I was please to see someone buying a copy of All Sides! Unfortunately they don’t seem to be playing any tracks from the album as we enter the venue.

This venue opened the gates at 6.00pm when we were allowed into an area with various food stalls. There was also a grill seated area that were serving meatloaf! The concert was supposed to start at 7.30pm but it’s just as well that it didn’t as the place was only half full at that time. First of all the venue picked someone (at random) to enter a clear box (about the size of a telephone box) and grab as much money as she could in 20 seconds once they started a wind machine effect. They said that there were some $50 and $100 bills there but, even though she grabbed a good handful, she only obtained $23 (about £12)!

The concert probably started at about 8.10pm and finished at just past 10.00pm. I think my abiding memory of this concert will be that it was probably the most staid audience I’ve ever experienced at a Meat Loaf concert! This was especially noticeable after the great Cleveland crowd on Thursday but most people stood when Meat Loaf first came on and then immediately sat! They then stood for You Took The Words and sat again and then most even sat for Bat Out Of Hell!!! There was only a few of us who stood for most of the concert as the crowd didn’t get up until the encore! I felt really sorry for Meat Loaf and the band having to play to an audience like that. During a quiet part of Paradise I heard two of the security guards saying that people were allowed to stand at the barrier but weren’t which is when we moved up (I later moved back to my seat as I couldn’t see Kasim from the barrier because the stage was too high!) The venue said that only disposable cameras were supposed to be used and as mine has a visibly large lens (it's an old camera and that's how they were made back then!) I didn't dare get mine out as the audience were very "exposed" tonight!

There was also quite a few empty seats in the front few rows. Certainly, even in the front row, there were empty seats! I was also amazed at the couple next to us as they didn’t arrive until during the 5th song and then left before the encore (to get out of the car park quickly). When they did arrive they’d stopped to purchase food before they came in so they obviously weren’t too bothered!

It was the same set list as in Cleveland (and the last few shows) and, as someone pointed out to me afterwards, there is no slow songs in the set at all – it’s all go, go, go! The other surprising thing (to me) is that this tour is partly to promote Bat Out Of Hell III and yet they only play one song from the album.

Although there are 4 songs less than at the majority of the UK concerts, these concerts really start off very dramatically as the band just launch into an abridged version of All Revved Up before Meat Loaf walks on stage and then the inflatable dolls burst up for If It Ain’t Broke Break It. The next two songs are Out Of The Frying Pan (And Into The Fire)and Life Is A Lemon so it (usually but not tonight!) really gets the crowd going right from the start.

Tonight during Frying Pan they had small (maybe 2 foot tall) fires projected onto the three album cover backdrops during the first chorus of the song.

Aspen was back to wearing her dress again tonight for Anything For Love. Also during that song near the end Meat Loaf got down on one knee to sing (he struggled to get up afterwards!). It seemed to be a concert of knees as during Dave Luther’s (very) long sax solo in Rock ‘n’ Roll Dreams he also ended up on one knee too!

Kasim seemed more subdued on stage tonight than usual and didn’t move around the stage as much as he normally does, even during the encore. Kasim wore a white T-shirt with a black Jacket and trousers for the first part of the concert. He then wore his blue and white smock-top for the 1970s part before Meat Loaf remarked on all the band’s clothes and told them to take them off so Kasim switched to a long sleeved black shirt. Kasim isn’t using his lovely silver KSulton bass on this part of the tour. Instead he plays his older (non KSulton bass) pearl coloured one for most of the concert and then switches to his black KSulton bass for the encore.

Paradise By The Dashboard Light seemed far too padded for me today. However one amusing line that Meat Loaf has started to use is along the lines of asking Aspen whether her mother allows her out of the house dressed like she is. When she says that she does, Meat Loaf asks whether her mother would like to join them too! Tonight in the praying for the end of time part, Meat Loaf said that he and Aspen had got together 22 years ago which means she would have only been 6 years old!

An unusual thing happened during Paradise tonight as I noticed something fly from the side of the stage past Kasim and Randy Flowers onto the stage. It then flew around the stage for a few minutes but Meat Loaf and Aspen (who were at the front of the stage) didn’t seem to be aware of it at all. I thought at first that it was a large horse-fly but apparently they didn’t get those up here in New Hampshire and people told me it was a small bat! It’s just a shame that it’s timing was slightly off and it didn’t make an appearance during Bat Out Of Hell!

Although I miss the fact that Meat Loaf doesn't talk as much during these concerts (he's dropped the monologue that he used to do before Objects In The Rear View Mirror), there were a few funny bits for example he watched Aspen "dancing" (bascially moving one shoulder up and then the other) so he stood beside her and mimicked her to a tee!

During the encore Meat Loaf spotted a young boy (maybe 6 or 7 years old) and got his father to hold him up while Meat Loaf gave him his usual spiel about the language he uses on stage!

All in all I enjoyed the concert but I felt slightly flat afterwards due to the subdued reception by the audience.

Roll on Montreal on Monday!!!

Other websites:
Meat Loaf's official website MeatLoaf.net has a thread about this concert here.

Many thanks to Mike B for all the photos on this page.

Meat Loaf Bat Out Of Hell III Tour