BAT Live the official Meat Loaf tribute UK dates [Archive]

ajf33

10 Jun 2022, 16:47

The pre ticket sale announcement says songs from Bat 1 (whole album) Bat 2 & Bat 3, Dead Ringer & The rocky Horror picture show. Whether thats it, or they'll add others remains to be seen.

Guess I'll find out at the O2!

As an American who understands why their typical set list works in the U.S., but also knows what is possible overseas, I hope they vary the set list for the UK a little bit. People know more of Meat's work there, they can get most, if not all, of Bat I from a Steve Steinman (or other) show just as easily. Give 'em a few deep cuts, they can handle it!

AndrewG

11 Jun 2022, 21:10

Bought some tickets. Will see what it's like almost a year from now. I only have "very good tribute" level expectations. But that has never prevented me from enjoying these types of shows before.

Be sure to check out the box offices of the venues if you haven't got tickets yet, as it seems much clearer to see what you are getting and where you will sit in my opinion.

anotherday

12 Jun 2022, 03:30

Justin Bieber

15 Jun 2022, 22:22

If only. Could they do the planned Braver tour that so nearly happened.

stretch37

16 Jun 2022, 01:18

If only. Could they do the planned Braver tour that so nearly happened.

I don't know if Meat would have wanted that or if it would be the right thing to do. He really was the one that needed to tour that record to get the meaning HE wanted to out of it. We'll never get that tour. Meat would want Caleb to find his own meaning in all of the songs and the fantasy, and Caleb appears to be doing just that, focusing on bringing that gut wrenching level of emotion to the stage. This is just all getting started. It's exciting to think where it could go! Who knows - maybe we will get some songs from Braver. I would love to hear some of them live.

What I'm deeply hoping for is a new record from Paul + Caleb & the NLE once they are ready. Then they can tour that, carry on the tradition of Meat Loaf such as Meat would have wanted. Who knows, things could just be getting warmed up. Caleb seems to be really getting into his role and I cannot wait for them to bring the tour to Victoria.

AndrewG

16 Jun 2022, 02:41

What I'm deeply hoping for is a new record from Paul + Caleb & the NLE once they are ready. Then they can tour that, carry on the tradition of Meat Loaf such as Meat would have wanted. Who knows, things could just be getting warmed up. Caleb seems to be really getting into his role and I cannot wait for them to bring the tour to Victoria.

I really don't think there is much appetite for new material if they try to do that under the associated Meat Loaf mantra.

Queen didn't seem to have much success with that route, a vastly more popular band with even more popular frontmen (over Caleb) - at least in my estimation- who replaced Freddie.

90% of the audience come for Bat, Paradise, Heaven, Two out of Three, Took The Words, Anything for Love and in the UK especially Dead Ringer For Love. Some, beyond the die hard fans may know Modern Girl, Frying Pan, Objects and Rock N Roll Dreams. That's about it I would have thought.
If the band didn't play those and did their own stuff I wouldn't like to see the reactions.

Even Meat had quite muted success with his later stuff during the shows don't forget. I remember everyone sitting during the 4 HCTB songs on that UK tour.

I WOULD like to see the band tackle Braver and one or two lesser known Meat songs, but really this would just be a die hard fan nugget at those shows I reckon.
I'll Kill You if you don't come back, Surf's Up, Dance in My Pants. Sure, I'd love that.

I really wouldn't want original material, sorry.

stretch37

20 Jun 2022, 20:13

I really don't think there is much appetite for new material if they try to do that under the associated Meat Loaf mantra.

Queen didn't seem to have much success with that route, a vastly more popular band with even more popular frontmen (over Caleb) - at least in my estimation- who replaced Freddie.

90% of the audience come for Bat, Paradise, Heaven, Two out of Three, Took The Words, Anything for Love and in the UK especially Dead Ringer For Love. Some, beyond the die hard fans may know Modern Girl, Frying Pan, Objects and Rock N Roll Dreams. That's about it I would have thought.
If the band didn't play those and did their own stuff I wouldn't like to see the reactions.

Even Meat had quite muted success with his later stuff during the shows don't forget. I remember everyone sitting during the 4 HCTB songs on that UK tour.

I WOULD like to see the band tackle Braver and one or two lesser known Meat songs, but really this would just be a die hard fan nugget at those shows I reckon.
I'll Kill You if you don't come back, Surf's Up, Dance in My Pants. Sure, I'd love that.

I really wouldn't want original material, sorry.

To each's own I guess :cool:

stretch37

26 Oct 2022, 05:39

letsgotoofar

26 Oct 2022, 06:47

See, they say it's new recordings, but everything, including the listed lineup, suggests it's just a repackaging of the initial album from the website launch. Unless they recorded any non-Bat I tracks they left in the vault, I'll pass.

AndrewG

26 Oct 2022, 13:41

I just don't see the point in the album, even more so when they rebranded the band as "Celebrating Meat Loaf", sorry.
Live they might sound good and hopefully they can entertain but why re-record these excellent songs?

Without Meat these studio songs just can't be Meat Loaf. So many people have recorded (some) of these songs over the years and the always permanent lack of interest from the buying public surely demonstrates it's just a waste of time, unless it's perhaps small scale, just for the fun of doing it such as the Rockman fan stuff years ago. And for Free!

It would make far more sense to sell an album with some of the live recorded songs and mostly sell that as merch at the shows, alongside the real Meat Loaf studio albums, which can never be topped regardless.

"We’re hoping this release introduces Meat and Jim to a whole new fan base"

Personally I find this attitude somewhat patronising; as if to say new fans can't come from old records. Most of the people here weren't even born when Bat out of Hell was released!

letsgotoofar

26 Oct 2022, 19:36

As I said, the whole thing smacks of money for old rope. Despite Paul's assurances on social media to the contrary that these are new recordings, it's quite plainly the result of a rebranding as a memorial tribute rather than a "he's not well, so we're keeping the band employed and ready for him to drop in whenever" tribute, and that's fine for marketing purposes, but I'm not looking to buy the same re-recording of Bat I all over again.

jcmoorehead

27 Oct 2022, 13:10

In a way, I can see why they're doing the album as a means to promote the act and get an idea into peoples heads of what it'll sound like should they go to see it. Personally I'd prefer them to just release a live album/soundboard than a studio deal but it doesn't really bother me too much, i've seen plenty of acts do "Tribute To" albums before, be it an ensemble or just one artist doing it and they can be really good and it's sometimes interesting to hear an alternative take.

On the other hand, there is a part of me that would also like to see the Celebrating Meat loaf project go beyond being a tribute, and I don't know the legalities and such behind all of this so this might be nothing more than a fans pipe dream, but I'd love to see it used to not only carry on these performances but also prevent things from the Meat Loaf vault, to celebrate that legacy a bit more, maybe use the social media space to promote the many of Meat Loafs past albums or songs.

Educate people on that history of music, you know have things on a Friday like "Oh, Bat Out Of Hell 1 and 2 are some of the biggest selling albums of all time, but did you know about this gem from the library" and post up Read Em And Weep, Surfs Up, Did I Say That or whatever else.

Or eventually build up to releasing unheard material/demos

AndrewG

28 Oct 2022, 11:24

The NLE + Caleb studio version of Revved Up sounds "ok" but it's not a patch on Meat's original.
The glissandi sax solo around the 3 minute mark is clearly missing, the new one sounds much simpler. Exactly like you would have a "session player do some stuff" vs. someone that is really into the song and freaking plays his heart out.

I even miss the burning 70s guitar chords around the 1.10 minute mark, which is bizarre considering Paul I believe produced this. This shouldn't be too hard to get right. Where is the hi hat there also? The original feels more groovy and tight.

The original studio performers were clearly more accomplished and had better producers and that's not an insult at all. That is simply the harsh reality one is confronted with if you are going to try to redo this remarkable music.
They are great players on the new version, playing the instruments far better than I ever could. But if you are going to play Meat, expect to be challenged by fans like myself who are always going to compare it to exceptionally great studio versions we already have.

It just can't be redone to the point I'd ever prefer someone else's version is my conclusion.
Stick to live and record that, would be my recommendation.

nightinr

28 Oct 2022, 17:08

Ticket sales for the UK tour appear to be dreadful. Charging around £40+ seems excessive for a tribute act

anotherday

28 Oct 2022, 18:06

Has anyone compared the recordings yet? To the previously released BAT version?

anotherday

28 Oct 2022, 18:12

Ticket sales for the UK tour appear to be dreadful. Charging around £40+ seems excessive for a tribute act

Oh? Did you find data or just browsing the dates ticket sites? I found our shows here didn’t sell well until a couple of months to a week before the shows.

letsgotoofar

28 Oct 2022, 18:57

Has anyone compared the recordings yet? To the previously released BAT version?

Will compare the single of "All Revved Up" to the previously released version as soon as I get home from work today.

AndrewG

29 Oct 2022, 00:08

Ticket sales for the UK tour appear to be dreadful. Charging around £40+ seems excessive for a tribute act

Patti Russo charged £18 I remember with part of the Spike Edney's SAS band.
Fair enough that was 8 years ago but even that was a huge struggle for her except for the London show.

And I would say that was far less of a tribute act!

Sorry to keep rambling on about it, I don't mind what Paul Crook is doing at all with the band and good to see him trying over here in the UK, but the studio stuff I just find wrong, wrong, wrong! To do the entire of Bat in that manner is just ugh...

Hopefully ticket sales will pick up closer to the dates.

Not sure if cost of living is having an effect on shows next year but it wouldn't surprise me.

Having said that Steve Steinman seems to be doing exceptionally well at the moment!
I think many have heard his name drop more in the UK than the likes of Paul Crook or Caleb Johnson.

jcmoorehead

29 Oct 2022, 10:01

I went to go see Steve Steinman earlier this year and it was a bloody great show. Really fun stuff and would def recommend it to anyone.

40 quid does seem a lot for a tribute, I know you are essentially getting Meats actual band plus a very talented singer but it is still a lot of money. That said, concert prices in general seem to be up at the moment and I think for some other bigger tributes, the likes of Australian Pink Floyd you might expect to pay that much.

letsgotoofar

29 Oct 2022, 18:31

Having A/B'ed "All Revved Up" from the BAT tribute album and the current single, I can confirm that the mix is different, but that's all. The same recording, but just fiddled with a bit -- certain instruments are louder, and others are buried a little more (and, possibly, processing on the vocals across the board), but, by and large, it's the same thing, including the lack of a glissandi sax solo. Wait for the lot of them to come out on streaming, and you'll essentially get a better mix of something for which some of us already paid a small chunk of change back when the tribute began. The advantages are the mix is improved and streaming is free, I guess...

nightinr

29 Oct 2022, 22:16

Anything above £20 seems ludricous for this tour

aks650

30 Oct 2022, 09:39

Tbh I’m this day and age £40 isn’t bad at all..
Christ a domino’s pizza is £20 🤣

ThatWriterGuy

30 Oct 2022, 10:34

If they were smart, they would've asked Kasim, CC, Aspen, The Goff Sisters, Karla, Ellen, Rory, etc. - making it a celebration (as opposed to a tribute).

letsgotoofar

30 Oct 2022, 16:34

Well, y'know, some of us are enterprising producers and promoters... we could honestly organize such an event of our own and book "The Bat Experience" / "Back Out of Hell" / "Celebrating Meat Loaf" / whoever-the-hell-they-are-now as the big centerpiece just to keep the peace... ;-)

AndrewG

31 Oct 2022, 01:13

If they were smart, they would've asked Kasim, CC, Aspen, The Goff Sisters, Karla, Ellen, Rory, etc. - making it a celebration (as opposed to a tribute).

If Patti was included and they added After The Fall in the setlist, I'd be front row at every show.

Like you said, not a Meat song of course, but to me definitely a "celebration".

Evil One

31 Oct 2022, 09:53

It's not actually the whole Neverland Express anymore though. It's Paul, Randy, John and a bunch of chaps I've never heard of. Promoting it as Meat Loaf's band is a bit of a stretch.

letsgotoofar

31 Oct 2022, 18:11

It's slightly more than just Paul, Randy, and John. (In that they rotate the last couple of Patti replacements from Vegas, and, at least per the website, Justin Avery, Pat Thrall, Tom Brislin, Ginny Luke [fiddle from Guilty Pleasure Tour], and Dave Luther may also join the fray periodically.) I'm not saying that matters, just being pedantic for the record.

AndrewG

31 Oct 2022, 19:52

Has Path Thrall ever shown up so far? I loved his take on AFL. I doubt we will see him in the UK also. Justin seems to have dropped out of this to me.

It seems Meat's wife is certainly not taking any part in endorsing the "official" band, posting very different things on his Facebook now.

Starting to regret buying a ticket for one of the UK shows a bit, it seems more like a Paul Crook show than anything else. Maybe going to a Steve Steinman show would be a safer bet. At least he has Lorraine Crosby.

Wish Patti would come back too.

anotherday

31 Oct 2022, 21:29

ThatWriterGuy

01 Nov 2022, 11:14

It seems Meat's wife ... posting very different things on his Facebook now.

Are you sure that's who's posting? :sherlock:

... it seems more like a Paul Crook show than anything else.

:up:

Wish Patti would come back too.

:down:

Michael Marxen

01 Nov 2022, 12:58

Meat is dead. We’ve got what we’ve got at this point. Let’s enjoy it, yeah? John, Paul, Randy toured with Meat for 20+ years. They know these songs and bring them to life. Caleb’s voice is great on them live. Go see the show. Enjoy it. Celebrate Meat.

Yep!
Why all the negativity? It’s probably hard enough to put this up anyhow.
Looking forward to see them in the UK!

nightinr

01 Nov 2022, 14:22

I suspect the tour may be cancelled due to poor ticket sales

Monstro

01 Nov 2022, 18:43

I suspect the tour may be cancelled due to poor ticket sales

Jesus you're a ray of light on a dark day aren't you, stop poking for a reaction and just scroll past if you can't think of anything constructive or thought out.

Guy

01 Nov 2022, 19:15

Howay the Toon. 😁

AndrewG

02 Nov 2022, 01:12

I suspect the tour may be cancelled due to poor ticket sales

Although I am a bit meh with all this at the moment, I highly doubt they will cancel.

To me it seems 25-30% of tickets are gone. They should hit 50% I would have thought by the time the shows are on, hopefully/possibly more.

If they put on a really good show they might do better next time.

If they are committed and can make it through that it could work out ok in the long run.

If it's just a one off then at least they tried, I can't blame them for that. Even if a fantasy lineup might have attracted more interest.

The main thing I think they should do is post videos of them doing live stuff online rather than record studio versions.

Justin Bieber

02 Nov 2022, 20:48

Are you sure that's who's posting? :sherlock:

:up:

:down:

Yes I am sure. Paul could easily use his own pages. What is your point this time?

aks650

03 Nov 2022, 03:09

This truly is becoming a depressing place..

I really don’t understand the negativity towards the band touring.. It’s not like we are going to get anything else from Meat.. ie there are no vaults etc.

Just enjoy it for what it is..

Jayd

03 Nov 2022, 07:47

They were decent back in February, Caleb is no Meat but they did a very good job and the crowd loved it. Just a shame the sound at the venue was crap, was hard to hear Caleb at times!!

ThatWriterGuy

03 Nov 2022, 10:59

Yes I am sure.

:lol:

Paul could easily use his own pages.

:??:

What is your point this time?

:sherlock:

ThatWriterGuy

03 Nov 2022, 12:47

For clarity: you should absolutely go and see this, if it's your thing and they're playing in your neck of the woods.

Imagine it'll be a blast to see and hear.

ThatWriterGuy

03 Nov 2022, 17:14

Not the greatest recording:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zv5A4CsxBpA

But I actually think they did a GREAT job with this!

letsgotoofar

03 Nov 2022, 18:32

This truly is becoming a depressing place..

Hey, I'm chuffed to bits that Justin Bieber, of all people, took time out of his no doubt very busy schedule to contribute to the thread.

...

...

:lol:

stretch37

03 Nov 2022, 20:48

Meat is dead. We’ve got what we’ve got at this point. Let’s enjoy it, yeah? John, Paul, Randy toured with Meat for 20+ years. They know these songs and bring them to life. Caleb’s voice is great on them live. Go see the show. Enjoy it. Celebrate Meat.

Exactly!

And I'll just reiterate that, while Meat's band has changed substantially over the years, John, Paul and Randy are the core band members for the last 20+ years. If that's not Meat's band, I don't know what is. If Meat was alive, he would be touring with them, would he not?

As far as the name changes go, I think we can all agree that none of the other names really fit. Celebrating Meat Loaf is perfect. Well done to whoever came up with that!

Regarding this being a 'Paul show' - to suggest that Celebrating Meat Loaf is just a Paul show is not only a bad take, it is inaccurate. The same core members of Meat's band are all here.

If you have a look here https://bravewords.com/news/meat-loaf-s-band-the-neverland-express-caleb-johnson-paradise-found-bat-out-of-hell-reignited-set-for-release-in-january?fbclid=IwAR3sn3RexepWpVOY7GaxoUUxTaNyrxj5uh2fcm-BOMph6PexjaRknAr8a8I

You can see that the lineup of performers/musicians for this album contains several other familiar names:

- Justin Avery, (keyboard, vocals)
- Tom Brislin (orchestration)
- Steve Buslowe (bass)
- Paul Crook (guitar)
- Randy Flowers (guitar)
- David Luther (saxophone)
- Lyssa Lynne (“Stop Right There!”)
- John Miceli (drums)

As was previously noted, many of these names appear on the Celebrating Meat Loaf website as well. This is the NLE.

Lyssa Lynne was literally hand-chosen by Meat back in what, 2013? She is an official member of the NLE.

I don't buy all the negative takes, sorry ;)

~~~~ the pandemic. Meat Loaf is dead because of it.

I'm going to go out on a limb and say that I'm with everyone else here, both lurkers and commenters, who want to try to keep some positive energy in the Meat Loaf camp. Let's enjoy it while we have the NLE and Paul's hard work to keep Meat's memory and life's work alive. We're very lucky to have him as a steward of Meat's vision.

Jayd

04 Nov 2022, 01:27

Exactly!

And I'll just reiterate that, while Meat's band has changed substantially over the years, John, Paul and Randy are the core band members for the last 20+ years. If that's not Meat's band, I don't know what is. If Meat was alive, he would be touring with them, would he not?

As far as the name changes go, I think we can all agree that none of the other names really fit. Celebrating Meat Loaf is perfect. Well done to whoever came up with that!

Regarding this being a 'Paul show' - to suggest that Celebrating Meat Loaf is just a Paul show is not only a bad take, it is inaccurate. The same core members of Meat's band are all here.

If you have a look here https://bravewords.com/news/meat-loaf-s-band-the-neverland-express-caleb-johnson-paradise-found-bat-out-of-hell-reignited-set-for-release-in-january?fbclid=IwAR3sn3RexepWpVOY7GaxoUUxTaNyrxj5uh2fcm-BOMph6PexjaRknAr8a8I

You can see that the lineup of performers/musicians for this album contains several other familiar names:

- Justin Avery, (keyboard, vocals)
- Tom Brislin (orchestration)
- Steve Buslowe (bass)
- Paul Crook (guitar)
- Randy Flowers (guitar)
- David Luther (saxophone)
- Lyssa Lynne (“Stop Right There!”)
- John Miceli (drums)

As was previously noted, many of these names appear on the Celebrating Meat Loaf website as well. This is the NLE.

Lyssa Lynne was literally hand-chosen by Meat back in what, 2013? She is an official member of the NLE.

I don't buy all the negative takes, sorry ;)

~~~~ the pandemic. Meat Loaf is dead because of it.

I'm going to go out on a limb and say that I'm with everyone else here, both lurkers and commenters, who want to try to keep some positive energy in the Meat Loaf camp. Let's enjoy it while we have the NLE and Paul's hard work to keep Meat's memory and life's work alive. We're very lucky to have him as a steward of Meat's vision.

I agree with every word, this is as close as you will ever get to see a Meat Loaf show. Forget Steve Steinman and his karaoke theatre, this was fully endorsed by Meat before his passing and they are carrying the torch now. I enjoyed seeing them perform just after Meat’s passing and it was a great night, the tribute at the start was very touching and whole crowd loved it. All I say is, give it a go!!!!

AndrewG

04 Nov 2022, 02:50

I agree with every word, this is as close as you will ever get to see a Meat Loaf show. Forget Steve Steinman and his karaoke theatre, this was fully endorsed by Meat before his passing and they are carrying the torch now. I enjoyed seeing them perform just after Meat’s passing and it was a great night, the tribute at the start was very touching and whole crowd loved it. All I say is, give it a go!!!!

"Karaoke theatre" :roll::roll: Literally tonight:

https://scontent.fltn3-2.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/313385744_674291354062363_1396625413582499894_n.jpg?_nc_cat=106&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=SI2oE_uuUcMAX_8v7Z0&_nc_ht=scontent.fltn3-2.fna&oh=00_AfC4KkxcfYPq7ALU-kDgYoVco3iAeCfy3zovOx45P5ZvMg&oe=63688AB6

People have every right to compare these tribute acts, fully endorsed or not.

With the amount of dates Steve Steinman is playing I'd say the fully endorsed act has some catching up to do if they want to be as popular in the UK.

If you put yourself out there you can expect to be criticised and compared to the original artist even if you are just attempting to perform these songs, it's inevitable.

I'll leave judgement of the performance till I see it but a lot of stuff I've seen and heard so far just doesn't impress me the way they are going about it.

Look at the revved up single artwork. It's just strange and seems more like what I expect Paul Crook likes rather than it fitting in with Steinman and Meat's music:

https://bravewords.com/medias-static/images/news/2022/calebloafsingle1022.jpeg

Even the cover of the album (IF that what it is) seems self indulgent, very lazy and not even well put together. There is something quite off about Randy in front of the girl.

https://bravewords.com/medias-static/images/news/2022/6357FE2C-meat-loaf-s-band-the-neverland-express-caleb-johnson-paradise-found-bat-out-of-hell-reignited-set-for-release-in-january-image.jpeg

Are you telling me the "karaoke theatre" tribute artwork is "less Meat Loaf" simply because it isn't endorsed by Meat?
https://i.ytimg.com/vi/hOF_T3GMbPc/maxresdefault.jpg
Get real.

AndrewG

04 Nov 2022, 03:27

Exactly!

And I'll just reiterate that, while Meat's band has changed substantially over the years, John, Paul and Randy are the core band members for the last 20+ years. If that's not Meat's band, I don't know what is. If Meat was alive, he would be touring with them, would he not?

As far as the name changes go, I think we can all agree that none of the other names really fit. Celebrating Meat Loaf is perfect. Well done to whoever came up with that!

Regarding this being a 'Paul show' - to suggest that Celebrating Meat Loaf is just a Paul show is not only a bad take, it is inaccurate. The same core members of Meat's band are all here.

If you have a look here https://bravewords.com/news/meat-loaf-s-band-the-neverland-express-caleb-johnson-paradise-found-bat-out-of-hell-reignited-set-for-release-in-january?fbclid=IwAR3sn3RexepWpVOY7GaxoUUxTaNyrxj5uh2fcm-BOMph6PexjaRknAr8a8I

You can see that the lineup of performers/musicians for this album contains several other familiar names:

- Justin Avery, (keyboard, vocals)
- Tom Brislin (orchestration)
- Steve Buslowe (bass)
- Paul Crook (guitar)
- Randy Flowers (guitar)
- David Luther (saxophone)
- Lyssa Lynne (“Stop Right There!”)
- John Miceli (drums)

As was previously noted, many of these names appear on the Celebrating Meat Loaf website as well. This is the NLE.

Lyssa Lynne was literally hand-chosen by Meat back in what, 2013? She is an official member of the NLE.

I don't buy all the negative takes, sorry ;)

~~~~ the pandemic. Meat Loaf is dead because of it.

I'm going to go out on a limb and say that I'm with everyone else here, both lurkers and commenters, who want to try to keep some positive energy in the Meat Loaf camp. Let's enjoy it while we have the NLE and Paul's hard work to keep Meat's memory and life's work alive. We're very lucky to have him as a steward of Meat's vision.

He may be on the album, but I highly doubt Steve Buslowe will play a single date, but we will see.

As for the Paul show, maybe it's a harsh criticism but I doubt the band would exist without him.

I'll let you in on something: the others just don't seem as passionate. This was quite evident backstage at Manchester 2013 to be honest. It was great speaking to Paul about Meat possibly coming back for another London and Manchester show and he was super enthusiastic about Braver Than We Are - the song (which I do agree sounds great considering all things). But I just didn't get a vibe others were bothered about more shows and saw it mostly just as work. Even Patti for that matter who wasn't fired yet at that point.

Paul constantly talking about Meat, even now, as his boss, is something I do very much appreciate.

nightinr

04 Nov 2022, 14:23

What do the band members do for money these days?

ThatWriterGuy

04 Nov 2022, 17:01

What do the band members do for money these days?

Favors for sailors, mostly.

I mean, that's just what I heard.

Trusted source, an' all.

Jayd

04 Nov 2022, 21:39

"Karaoke theatre" :roll::roll: Literally tonight:

https://scontent.fltn3-2.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/313385744_674291354062363_1396625413582499894_n.jpg?_nc_cat=106&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=SI2oE_uuUcMAX_8v7Z0&_nc_ht=scontent.fltn3-2.fna&oh=00_AfC4KkxcfYPq7ALU-kDgYoVco3iAeCfy3zovOx45P5ZvMg&oe=63688AB6

People have every right to compare these tribute acts, fully endorsed or not.

With the amount of dates Steve Steinman is playing I'd say the fully endorsed act has some catching up to do if they want to be as popular in the UK.

If you put yourself out there you can expect to be criticised and compared to the original artist even if you are just attempting to perform these songs, it's inevitable.

I'll leave judgement of the performance till I see it but a lot of stuff I've seen and heard so far just doesn't impress me the way they are going about it.

Look at the revved up single artwork. It's just strange and seems more like what I expect Paul Crook likes rather than it fitting in with Steinman and Meat's music:

https://bravewords.com/medias-static/images/news/2022/calebloafsingle1022.jpeg

Even the cover of the album (IF that what it is) seems self indulgent, very lazy and not even well put together. There is something quite off about Randy in front of the girl.

https://bravewords.com/medias-static/images/news/2022/6357FE2C-meat-loaf-s-band-the-neverland-express-caleb-johnson-paradise-found-bat-out-of-hell-reignited-set-for-release-in-january-image.jpeg

Are you telling me the "karaoke theatre" tribute artwork is "less Meat Loaf" simply because it isn't endorsed by Meat?
https://i.ytimg.com/vi/hOF_T3GMbPc/maxresdefault.jpg
Get real.

These band members played with Meat for 20 years, some less, some more, they know what Meat wanted in a show, how he wanted it done and how he wanted the audience to feel. I put more trust in these guys than a tribute act, although I must say successful one, but these guys knew Meat inside and out. I went to a Steve Steinman show back in Manchester over 10 years ago, before he started the Vampires Rock stuff and I wasn’t all impressed, as I said “karaoke theatre”. I went to see The Neverland Express back in February in Red Bank, NJ and it was a great night, the only think to let it down was The Vogel at Count Basie Theater, which wasn’t great for sound!!!

letsgotoofar

05 Nov 2022, 00:20

If Steve can sell a show as Steve Murray, without trading on the names and works of Jim, Meat, and their franchise, I'll be happy to watch it.

AndrewG

05 Nov 2022, 02:29

If Steve can sell a show as Steve Murray, without trading on the names and works of Jim, Meat, and their franchise, I'll be happy to watch it.

You'd probably be the only person in the audience if he did that.

:roll:

Creating a brand with completely original music isn't so easily done and making lightning strike near impossible, especially in this day.

There are a few outliers but even then they quickly get accused of plagiarism these days.

More often than none will you see bands, artists, musicals, movies created from an existing idea and expanding on it. Even then if you only consider original music such as Jim Steinman you can quickly find heavily inspired threads which I'm sure would be too much for some purists to consider original. See the use of the E Street Band members on Bat etc.

Are the likes of tribute bands for everyone? Nope, sure as hell not.
Can people have a great night, yes absolutely and this is better than sitting at home and worrying about who "has the right" to perform certain music and who hasn't.

rockfenris2005

05 Nov 2022, 08:26

Apologies for my not posting much these days, but I saw this and had to say something.

I get why people think that, but that hasn't stopped us from trying. We just put out the cast album of our musical my friend and I have been working on for the past 10 years, and it's not even based on a famous story or anything. OK, it was inspired by Beauty and the Beast and Phantom of the Opera, which does make it relatable for an audience, but we have completely tried to put something out from the ground up. I actually know now how Meat Loaf and Jim must have felt when they were putting out "Bat out of Hell".

The thing that drives me crazy the most is all these people saying that there isn't any good music anymore, there isn't any Rolling Stones, Beatles, Queen, Pink Floyd, Meat Loaf, Jim, Elton John, Billy Joel, Bruce Springsteen. These artists (and rightly so) are put on a massive pedestal but where it's almost impossible with some people for a new artist to have any kind of relevant voice. But you switch on the radio and they play stuff like One Direction, Justin Bieber, Shawn, and I really just don't get that kind of music, as much as I wanted to. And "Night Changes" is actually the best pop song I've heard since the Backstreet Boys, but even that's nearly 10 years ago now.

But hey, I believe in this stuff that we're doing, and we and probably thousands of other artists are out here trying to put our stuff out while we try to make a living at other stuff, because it's so hard to make money now. After four years, I've almost made five dollars off these singles. I am proud of that, as much as my award 11 years ago, because we put it out and made money. It just drives me crazy because I wish I could tell those people who are sad about the state of music now that hey, maybe we can be there. Maybe! Very frustrating experience, and sort of like everything is moving in sloooooow motion.

eltmatt

24 Nov 2022, 18:42

Anything above £20 seems ludricous for this tour

Most tributes in Theatres are at least £26 + booking fees these days, plus they've got to travel from the states etc. The costs involved in putting a show on are huge (I work in Theatres).

I saw the Meat Loaf by Candlelight at Durham Cathedral and that was over £30 I think.

eltmatt

24 Nov 2022, 18:46

Starting to regret buying a ticket for one of the UK shows a bit, it seems more like a Paul Crook show than anything else. Maybe going to a Steve Steinman show would be a safer bet. At least he has Lorraine Crosby.

Oh God, have you heard him try and sing :lol:

This is far better, world class musicians playing the songs how Meat presented them with a world class singer, not cheap gags between songs.

AndrewG

27 Nov 2022, 16:23

Oh God, have you heard him try and sing :lol:

This is far better, world class musicians playing the songs how Meat presented them with a world class singer, not cheap gags between songs.

Even if the world is exactly how you describe it, which I refuse to believe as I've seen Steve Steinman a few times and he can certainly entertain a crowd, no one but the hardcore fans or those by chance looking at what is coming to their local theatre would know going by the absolute lack of even a single mention of these shows coming to the UK on Meat's official FB page etc.

:?

This reeks of something similar to the UB40 split mess. In the end the fans will just go to what they have heard of before and at the moment in the UK that is Steve Steinman and not Celebrating Meat Loaf / Bat The show.

eltmatt

30 Nov 2022, 17:58

What has Meat's paged posted recently like? I can't see as he blocked me haha.

stretch37

30 Nov 2022, 19:45

He may be on the album, but I highly doubt Steve Buslowe will play a single date, but we will see.

As for the Paul show, maybe it's a harsh criticism but I doubt the band would exist without him.

I'll let you in on something: the others just don't seem as passionate. This was quite evident backstage at Manchester 2013 to be honest. It was great speaking to Paul about Meat possibly coming back for another London and Manchester show and he was super enthusiastic about Braver Than We Are - the song (which I do agree sounds great considering all things). But I just didn't get a vibe others were bothered about more shows and saw it mostly just as work. Even Patti for that matter who wasn't fired yet at that point.

Paul constantly talking about Meat, even now, as his boss, is something I do very much appreciate.

Honestly, this much has been evident for some time. Still, it's the most authentic band. It's everyone except Meat. I'll reserve judgement until I hear the full album.

AndrewG

02 Dec 2022, 01:15

What has Meat's paged posted recently like? I can't see as he blocked me haha.

His FB page? His wife talking about Thanksgiving is the last I saw.

I don't mind this but there doesn't seem to be any talk about Meat's successes.

We all know there were many. It just seems such a waste this isn't celebrated "officially" anywhere.

Even a simple website such as what Janis Joplin has would be better than that forgotten .net mess.

It makes me furious knowing how many talented people could whip something like that up in no time and probably do it for free too. But then why should anyone do it for free. I'm guessing SOMEONE is still receiving royalties from the recordings right?

nightinr

02 Dec 2022, 15:58

Who is actually controlling Meat's facebook account?

rockfenris2005

05 Dec 2022, 19:51

His FB page? His wife talking about Thanksgiving is the last I saw.

I don't mind this but there doesn't seem to be any talk about Meat's successes.

We all know there were many. It just seems such a waste this isn't celebrated "officially" anywhere.

Even a simple website such as what Janis Joplin has would be better than that forgotten .net mess.

It makes me furious knowing how many talented people could whip something like that up in no time and probably do it for free too. But then why should anyone do it for free. I'm guessing SOMEONE is still receiving royalties from the recordings right?

I'm going to go down this rabbit hole then, but what about a 45th anniversary box set for Bat out of Hell? With demos, all the live concerts released at the time, given a state of the art remaster along with the original album? What about Dead Ringer or Jim's Bad for Good? There's so much potential here. The record companies handling Bat 2 and Neighbourhood have always been very good, so I'm almost going to expect something there, what with the Bat 2 30th coming up next year.

There's still loads of stuff they could do with Bad Attitude and Blind Before I Stop that they haven't even done the first time. What about all those single B sides and remixes?

Or have we passed the point for box sets in physical media now? Wait, physical media? Is the most we can expect is Joseph's amazing Technicolor dreamcoat of Bat being issued in seven different coloured vinyls with no extra features at all? No CD, just that?

All I want to see is this music being celebrated. Even a compilation, which almost sounds amazing in hindsight compared to ten years ago when the record companies kept putting them out every other month.

2jaxx

08 Dec 2022, 23:22

For my taste, Steve Steinman takes too many liberties. He replaced a lot of the "golden notes" and phrasings from the original recordings and does his own thing. Fair enough. Caleb on the other hands stays very close to the recordings. There's still room for adapting a few of Meat's live mannerisms, I think. Or he makes the songs his own, but please, not the way Steve Steinman does. In my opinion, many of those liberties he takes are not very tasteful.

AndrewG

09 Dec 2022, 23:53