MEAT LOAF - BIRMINGHAM NEC

NEC 11TH DEC 2003

Not having caught up with sleep from Tuesdays "Twilight Zone" journey back from Newcastle. It was time to start all over again lol. The journey was a walk in the park (or up the M1 / M6 anyway) compared to Tuesdays,

KASIM SET LIST

Don't Hold Me Back
Sometimes Love Is A Dangerous Thing
Sacrifice

We arrived in plenty of time to see Kasim's set tonight. Although there was a few scary minutes when there was no stool. But that was soon put right:-) Not sure what time Kasim came out but it was around 7.30 ish. I love seeing him up there. The crowd really seem to love him as well. He came on and sang Don't hold me back. after he went on to say he'd  smashed his guitar against... then said no only kidding.. Then said it was getting around xmas time, which led nicely into mentioning Quid Pro Quo. (If any of you haven't brought it yet, shame on you!!) Tonight Kasim changed his set list. He did "Sometimes love is a dangerous thing" which was excellent. After that he told the crowd that Meat was back and better than ever... and that Newcastle was the best show in about a yr and a half and that tonight would be better and if not see him after and he'd talk about it lol. (he was right though, it was far better than Newcastle and that was amazing) Then he went on to say that "This is the 1st song off my CD its called Sacrifice and it goes like this" After Sacrifice he left the stage saying "Thank you very much Birmingham, thank you, I really appreciate it, don't go away we'll be right back.

Here's a few videos of "Sometimes love is a dangerous thing"

Sometimes Love 1  Sometimes Love 2

And 1 from Sacrifice

Tonight was all the better for being back on Kasim's side, no offence to Paul, CC or Mark here, but It's just not the same without being on the same side as Kasim and Patti (another added bonus these days though, is that now there's also Randy Flowers to look at, that man sure is nice on the eyes:-) 

Tonight's show was one of the best I've ever seen. Meat was back and larger than life! he was full of energy, his voice was excellent and was really funny. The rest of the band were all having fun as well. Lots of times I looked at Kasim to see him laughing at meat lol..

Meat, Patti and CC did the Stretcher bit with Meat flat lining again tonight, I took it all in much more tonight and liked it much more. Plus I could see lol.. At the end of this bit, Meat sits up puts his mask on and goes into Do It

SET LIST MEAT LOAF

Mercury Blues

Tonight Meat played the piano during Mercury Blues, as far as I know for the 1st time, It was cool...

Lawyers, Guns and Money

Tonight when It got to what should of been "The shit has hit the fan" Meat's mic beeped. He stopped and said "It beeped me, it took out that curse word" It was really funny...

DeadRinger For Love

Glad to be back over Kasim and Patti's side for this:-) watching Patti always puts a smile on my face. (how can one person be so pretty, funny and talented?) watching Kasim and Patti clearly mucking around is really funny. Poor Randy must think they're both mad lol.

Testify

Meat added a really funky bit to testify! it was very cool.. Also CC played guitar with Meat and Kasim for the first time tonight (Renee did at Plymouth as well)

All Revved Up

 Meat has a senile moment at the beginning lol (funnily enough I have a few of them myself lately lol) He suddenly said. " Yes for those of you who are younger than I am, that’s what you have to look forward to, not knowing at any moment what the hell you're doing here, talking to or where you are"

During the clapping bit of this, I still expect to see Johns drums go back, ready for Bat Out of Hell in 1999 lol. Meat asked Billy to light em up. As the crowd were all singing along.

Couldn't Have Said It Better

Out Of The Frying Pan (and Into The Fire)

Meat stops near beginning  Then Meat says "I'm just having one problem tonight and that is this. Let me just see what happens". Meat runs across the stage..... the crowd screams, then runs to the other side... the crowd screams again. "Ok, I'll explain it to ya see last night I went to see Justin Timberlake, One thing | noticed it didn’t have anything to do with the music, every time he went to this side of the stage he screamed. (more screams) and I just wanted to know if it worked for me (more screams) and it did and it just goes to show, it doesn’t matter how old you are, a sex god is a sex god. He ran like that to so I decided to try it, it works for Justin it works for me. He then had another senile moment lol "I dunno where the hell I am, see I told you its that old thing. I got it" Then they finished doing Frying pan...

At one point Meat was even chasing Paul around the stage lol ...

Did I Say That

hmmmm I think the mucking about on stage tonight has spread to the whole band lol. Kasim seems to be poking his tongue out at me !!

I'd Lie For You (And That's The Truth)

Just before this started properly Meat had another senile moment lol. Then he went on to complain to Patti about her stool being bigger..

Then he asked Randy to start the song....

Before Forever Young Meat said about the Fone message again and that Jim Steinman had rang him.

Which got huge cheers from the crowd...

Forever Young

Paradise By The Dashboard Light

Meat played "guess the animal" with Patti again tonight. First It was a rabbit, which Patti got right 1st go.

 Then It was a whale again, which made the audience really laugh..

 Then Meat said "Now for the extra giant grand prize, shhh, guess which animal this is……….

Meat also said about going back to the hospital lol after being beaten yet again by Patti!

 "Hit me in the head twice, kick me in the butt, hit me on the arm oh good lord… "

Then Meat said he had a problem and he had to get rid of it. He was sick and tired... Then he said " If I have to look at another one of those cheap wigs I'll kill myself!!! Then he yanked Patti's wig off,

 threw it down by the drums and said "Lets make soup"

Next Meat stopped Patti yet again and said that was the 1st time in 11yrs she'd told the truth. That it was "Never good with you." To which Patti said "I was never singing that to you!"

Meat said he knew it!!! That every week he got plumbers bills lol..

Band Intro's

Meat and Patti took a bow, Meat went on to introduce Patti

"Miss Patricia Russo"

On the drums John The Hammer Miceli

On Piano Mr Mark Alexander

On Lead Guitar Paul Metal Loaf Crook

On Bass Guitar Kasim The Kid Sulton

Ladies and gentlemen if you will CC!!

On Lead Guitar Mr Randy Flowers

And then of course there is yours truly.

From all of us, to each and everyone of you, from our heart to your soul, we say to you, thank you, thank you very much Birmingham England - (Rule Britannia bit played again tonight.) and remember this  don’t you ever ever ever stop rockin. 

The band went off and left the crowd chanting "Meat Loaf, Meat Loaf, Meat Loaf.... "

The band came back out and started to play the intro to Anything for love. I was trying to take pix of Kasim, but the digital camera doesn't always flash lol. So he posed for me for ages bless him:-)

Lol.. These two have had me in stitches since I saw them!!

I love these as well:-)

Bat Out Of Hell was next. The crowd were really enjoying it!! My only criticism is... Where's Bob The Bat?? It's just not the same without him lol..

During Bat I had a plectrum thrown at me by Kasim LOL. it hit me on the chin and bounced off. I checked the floor for it, looked around but couldn't see it anywhere. I looked up and Kasim was still there laughing at me and pointing. I kept looking but still couldn't find it! yet every time I looked he was still mouthing something and pointing lol. (If only I could lip read!) so eventually I thought maybe he meant it went down my top, I looked but nope wasn't there. I said to him you missed! but he still kept on pointing!! Then I thought maybe he was saying, he was gonna throw another one, and get ready to catch it lol. After what seemed like an eternity Kas was pointing at his chest, so I eventually worked out to look in the same place on me, and sure enough, there it was! Stuck to me!! I couldn't stop laughing to myself for ages. And there was me thinking Kasim was a useless aim!!

Didn't get any pix of the encore tonight (last night far made up for it lol) decided to actually enjoy seeming them so close, especially John as he seems so hidden up there on them drums. Marks pretty out of the way up there was well so I was nice to see them right in front of me:-D John through me his drumstick:-( but it bounced off my hand and went over the barrier:-( but the lovely man threw me another one:-D which I made sure I didn't miss this time lol. Kasim's pic and Johns drumstick made my night even better than it already was, the show itself was the best so far and that made it all the better, thank you both of you. You really are the best!!!!! Just one thing, does anyone think maybe Johns hair has gone pink? I haven't seen under that bandana all tour and am getting slightly worried lol....

I made another odd observation tonight lol. Randy and Paul wear the same trousers!! ..... Is she mad you may ask .. well probably YES!! but.... doing so many shows and standing different sides of the front you do notice different things. Especially after Randy wore such bright shirts at Plymouth and Party in the park. So when he wore a black shirt every night I wondered why. Paul has wore a black t shirt and black velvety trousers at all the shows ( I think) and tonight I finally solved the mystery. Or I think so anyway lol... Must look better having them on stage in same colours lol. My theory may get thrown right out of the window though if Randy turns up in a bright shirt again!!

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