Date: Fri 09-Aug-1996

Publication: Bee

Author: SHANNO

Illustration: C

Quick Words:

concert-Meat-Loaf-Meadows-rev

Full Text:

(rev Meat Loaf concert @Meadows Music Theatre, 8/9/96)

Concert Review-

Meat Loaf & The Meadows: A Sound Combination

(with photo)

By Shannon Hicks

HARTFORD - Redding resident and international music star Meat Loaf has always

possessed a flair for flamboyance, the theatrical. For years, his concerts

have been nothing short of stage shows, complete with backdrops and props, and

scripts... his music.

Meat Loaf loves to bring his songs to life. He has a lot of fun hamming it up

at every chance, pretending to be the bad guy in a song's story - and every

song does tell a story - or the good guy, the guy who falls for the girl, the

guy who saves the girl from the clutches of evil.

Last Saturday night, Meat Loaf brought his current tour to the Meadows Music

Theatre in Hartford for the latest show by the musician in his home state. The

Meadows, an indoor-outdoor amphitheatre with seating for 22,500 on its lawn

section, was the brainchild of concert promotions mogul Jim Koplik. Completed

and opened just over one year ago, the venue has received thumbs-up and

thumbs-down remarks on everything from its parking setup and restroom

availability to food prices and seating.

One of the more common complaints is about the sound system on the lawn. Many

concertgoers have gone away from the Hartford theatre grumbling about the lack

of clarity a concert had presented. It is difficult to project music outside a

contained space - which means pavilion seats under the roof are always going

to sound better than the open lawn seats - but the Meadows management team has

been working on unraveling any glitch or kink it has come across.

Saturday night's concert was by far one of the best-sounding concerts the

venue has offered yet. Meat Loaf's vocals floated - flew! - from every speaker

in the house sounding quite clear, and quite loud.

With songs from his three latest albums, the concert was one short operetta

after another. Meat Loaf concerts are always a grand event, and this one was

no exception. This has a lot to do with the fact the guy was formally trained

as an actor; in past interviews, in fact, he contends he considers himself an

actor, not a musician. So he's touring, acting the part of a musician.

Unfortunately, not too many fellow Connecticutarians turned out to see the big

guy's return August 3. While Loaf's previous tour, for his huge return to the

mainstream via Bat Out Of Hell II: Back Into Hell , was launched at New

Haven's Palace Theatre a few years ago, this tour began elsewhere. Not

elsewhere as in somewhere else in the state, but in a different state

entirely, which may have let down any number of his fans.

For whatever reason, Saturday's offering at the Meadows was nowhere near

capacity. To say 10,000 people showed up would be an overly positive estimate.

But on the lawn, it sounded good anyway. Now if they could only do something

about those darn mosquitoes...