Rounding off possibly their most successful year so far, London International Motor Show are taking not only a giant wheel roll forward in the vehicular vortex but are also becoming almost equally well known for this music event, with many well known artists of seminal stature having had the pleasure of entertaining the capitals’  car and chord curious crowds. Deep Purple, Blondie and UB40 are just a few of the big, nay, huge, names from a roll call of legends longer than Ian Gillan’s hair in that old Top of the Pops clip of ‘Black Night’ of 1970. The main attraction, however, and the one saw the curtain come down on the whole festival, was the legend in his own leftovers that is the one and only Meat Loaf.

In the cavernous open air arena occupying the east side of the Excel exhibition centre, the good-natured and enthusiastic audience await the titan with admirable patient anticipation, the perfect warm weather only raising their spirits in expectation.

Strolling on to colossal cheers that coulda hauled all manner of hell’s infernal creatures out there and lo! here was the Meat man himself. Despite increasingly showing his age, at 60 he still possesses the ability to carry out a one to two hour show mixing old school rock & roll and modern day heavy metal melody with a superb, audience-thrilling stage act, succinctly dispelling any surprised looks creasing the odd brow here and there. 

Sad to mention maybe, though the truth is that diminishing vocal abilities can’t ruin the night at all as his excellent band, which includes two beautiful opera singers almost worth the admission alone, pull off the show and leave any doubters firmly in the minority. With several albums beyond that series of albums the mix of firm, fantastical favourites and of course the un-missable material of recent vintage proves a fertile feast indeed judging on the near-ecstatic reception.

So you can’t please all the people and it’s impossible to put everything in the set list, barring a Springsteen-style 70’s marathon, and it’s to his credit that despite the fact he played a wider selection of songs than a sceptic may suspect he still entertains the crowd such that it’s definitely a resounding, succulent  success.

Obviously everyone wants those now near eternal classics and it’s not too late, just as night falls, when tinkling keyboards signal the intro to “I'd Do Anything For Love”. The extraordinary reaction is something worth experiencing, surpassing the already fervent response to preceding ‘Paradise By The Dashboard Light’ as the cast of thousands joyously sing along as though the whole venue’s a loud live chorus of organic sound – had he put a gospel choir on his rider? Doubtless one of his biggest international hits voraciously chasing the tail of the original ‘Bat Out Of Hell’ and the dispatched-early ‘Deadringer For Love’, the crowd were overjoyed seeing him at what for many must be a once in a lifetime chance. The melody certainly lingered in the air long after, as some describe.

After a little break “Rock And Roll Dreams Come Through” once again saw the crowd strike up their choir to sing together with no prompting, along with covers of “The Doors” and “The Beatles” as a finale for this grand spectacle.

This is the sort of event that should certainly happen again and be among the ever-increasing annual festival calendar as it’s been such a fantastic and fascinating combination of motors and music, and c’mon, what more do you want? Meat Loaf is one of the few who offer a total live experience which here was doubled, if not quadrupled, due in no small part to his devoted fanbase, his noted visual, theatrical style, plus the sheer numbers who showed up to make it a sold out event who were just a small percentage of the overall attendance. Even though illness and advancing years have caused a few cancellations as well as consternation recently, sadly reducing his still formidable range and stamina, the crowd weren’t here to judge his performance, but they were there in celebration and to appreciate that, mere mortal he may surely be, his music will keep his name alive and aflame in the heart of his fans forever, magically in the manner of one of his songs. 

You can see the full set list below: 
I Want You So Hard (Boy's Bad News) (Eagles of Death Metal cover)
If It Ain't Broke (Break It)
Out Of The Frying Pan (And Into The Fire)
Life Is A Lemon And I Want My Money Back
Bad For Good
Dead Ringer For Love
45 Seconds Of Ecstasy
Amnesty Is Granted
Bring Me A Bible And A Beer (Patti Russo song)
Blind As A Bat
Disentience" (instrumental)
Paradise By The Dashboard Light
I'd Do Anything For Love (But I Won't Do That)
Bat Out Of Hell

Encore

Rock And Roll Dreams Come Through
Roadhouse Blues (The Doors cover)
Why Don't We Do It In The Road (The Beatles cover)


Reviewed by Sadek Salam

Photography by Asif Salam