REVIEW: Castle Howard, North Yorkshire

[RSSRobot]

by Dave Simpson for The Guardian When Meat Loaf was selling records by the multi-million (and packing a great many pounds), few people thought he would be treading the stages a couple of months before his 60th birthday. In recent years, he has ...

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[~Helen~]

As it's on general view and not in a restricted area, I presume I'm ok to reproduce the article here:

July 16 2008
REVIEW: CASTLE HOWARD, NORTH YORKSHIRE
by Dave Simpson for The Guardian

When Meat Loaf was selling records by the multi-million (and packing a great many pounds), few people thought he would be treading the stages a couple of months before his 60th birthday. In recent years, he has suffered a vocal cyst, survived the weirdly Meatish-sounding Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome and fended off accusations of onstage drunkenness. He looks ready to keel over after one number. Then again, Meat has spent the last 33 years looking ready to keel over. "What else am I gonna go?" he asked the Guardian recently, "Run a hotdog stand?"

Even slimmed down, food dominates Meat's agenda. His Casa de Carne tour (Spanish for "house of meat") sounds like a suburban tapas bar. He envisaged a stately-home gig like this one would mean carnivorous feasting ("like Henry VIII"), so must be disappointed to see the crowd nibbling on grapes and a cheese board featuring, ludicrously, photographs of Meat. He abandons the mic to shout "Stick that up your ~~~~ing ass", having perhaps spied the couple sipping Veuve Clicquot. His fury may be theatre, but there is often a real undercurrent to the man whose girth was ridiculed at school and who now takes nightly revenge by having audiences eat - almost literally - out of his big hands. He holds a beer aloft (but noticeably does not drink it) to rage at "teetotalers in England".

A recent show was criticised for sound problems, so he uses Life Is a Lemon and I Want My Money Back to ask "Is that what you ~~~~ing want?" There are no takers, because a furious Meat is weirdly compelling. Backed by an excellent band who all resemble Coronation Street's hapless rocker Vernon, he brings an operatic touch to I Would Do Anything for Love (But I Won't Do That) and roars through Rock and Roll Dreams Come Through like it is his last show ever. He even leads a comically aristocratic chorus of "~~~~ you" towards whoever is responsible for the lack of video screens that would have made him larger than life.

The visual spectacle is, unusually, minimal - he has left the inflatable bats at home - but as Bat Out of Hell starts, the heavens open, turning Castle Howard into Hades. Dramatically, a winged creature emerges from the downpour. Alas, Meat Loaf's powers do not extend to commanding nature. It is a sparrow.

[~Helen~]

...the crowd nibbling on grapes and a cheese board featuring, ludicrously, photographs of Meat...

is this a candidate for the weird food combos thread?? Sounds like they were nibbling on the actual board!

...Backed by an excellent band...

Yep, definitely spot on with that bit...

...who all resemble Coronation Street's hapless rocker Vernon...

NOT so sure about that ...is that like, give the compliment with one hand, take it back with the other??

...but as Bat Out of Hell starts, the heavens open, turning Castle Howard into Hades. Dramatically, a winged creature emerges from the downpour. Alas, Meat Loaf's powers do not extend to commanding nature. It is a sparrow.

Must say, strangest ending to a review I've ever seen but...at last a review that sounds on the face of it, mostly positive! No criticism anyway - was a relief after some of the (in my opinion) mis-judgements I've read and tried to avoid lately

[allrevvedup]

Grapes? Healthy food at a rock concert..."No", they cried, "No"

Good article though...I don't watch Coronation Street (yeah I know it's a shock) but if it's the guy I've seen in the papers, it's probably an insult to a few of the band members...especially the girls

[Battybarb]

"The band resemble Vernon " Doh...dont think so...this reporter needs to go to Spec Savers !

[24K]

LOL...me too!!!