Bat Out of Hell: Live with the Melbourne Symphony [Video]

Doesn't Australia always seem to get the bum rap? Maybe it's some kind of divine payback for their unparalleled worship of ABBA back in the '70s that makes the greatest homegrown rock band ever, AC/DC, barely bother to play there, and when the re-formed Kiss finally made it down, it was minus Ace and Peter, plus symphony -- have mercy! Following upon that horrendous experience comes none other than Meat Loaf, himself barely backed by the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra for one of those trademark, highly theatrical stage shows meant to butcher Jim Steinman's remarkable canon of songs for perhaps the gazillion time. Then again, maybe not in Australia. At any rate, the overall sense of excitement at this event is perfectly reflected in the very staid, politely seated, and middle-aged audience of thousands seen here. An audience as suited to the latest Broadway revival as to withstanding Meat Loaf's rock & roll cabaret, where every song's storyline inevitably pairs a boy (Meat) and girl (one of two buxom backup singers), and a lot of shouting about who's disrespecting who. Sure, "Two out of Three Ain't Bad" and "For Crying out Loud" always work, somehow; "Paradise by the Dashboard Light" still defies belief with its preposterous existence every time, while actually rousing the audience from their stupor; and the winning encore of "I Would Do Anything for Love" and "Bat out of Hell" make it hard for even the biggest cynic to remain unmoved. But when the two-plus hours of it all finally conclude, the gulf between expectation and delivery is still quite pronounced, not least because of the mostly invisible orchestral involvement through it all. Were the posters perhaps referring to an "orchestrated," rather than orchestral performance? All of this compounded with disc two's paltry "special" features: a moronic featurette about the backstage facilities, musicians and assorted entourage, a forgettable Q&A with Meat Loaf himself, a photo slide show, and something called a backstage ritual that's no ritual of any kind. How did Steinman put it elsewhere? "Life Is a Lemon and I Want My Money Back"!