![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
magicaddict...as of last night, I have been to see him live twice.
Last night at Wembley arena was good. Very good. As this concert was coming off the back of the release of Bat Out Of Hell III back in october, though it was officially entitled the Seize the Night tour (off the album, though the track was originally written by Jim as Carpe Noctem for Bat II but never made it onto the final release), it's unoffical subtitle was the Three Bats tour - only songs from the three albums were performed, so the entire thing was one long angst filled noisefest. Chris and I counted fifty two moving head lights, simply enough fixed placement lanterns, and two separate fifteen-piece line arrays on each side of the stage. We didn't see where they'd hidden the bass bins but given the kick of the drum kit they had to be screwed into the floor. From row seventeen in the centre, no more than ten yards from the stage, we had quite a good view, too.
To say nothing of the music.
Meatloaf live is now more of an institution than a music show. The band itself is perfectly capable of performing the songs without the input of their lead singer, as they're never quite sure what he's going to come out with, in what manner or rhythm. Not that he can't do it properly (the recording studio proves that), he just doesn't. He chimes in when he feels like it and the crowd follow him wherever he goes on stage. The live versions of Out of the Frying Pan, complete with a five-jet flamethrower behind the band that we could feel the instant heat of in the crowd (God knows what it much have been like on stage), and Blind As A Bat, in a good deal harder arrangement than on Bat III, were my high points of the show, but there really was nothing that wasn't absolutely brilliant. Bat Out Of Hell always deserves a special mention, as the crowd goes simply delerious and the volume gets jacked up another couple of notches so this sheer wall of sound flies off the stage into the already willingly bleeding ear drums of the front few rows. My throat hurts, my neck is stiff and my legs are complaining from bouncing round on the spot, but I don't care. I'd go back again tonight.
______________
So, Pirates III (no spoilers ahead). Considering the hype and the trailers that had been out for over a month, we went along on Thursday night hoping that it wouldn't drop the ball. I even showed up in costume, something I've only ever done for Rocky Horror before, so I was paying it a good deal more respect than I thought it was due, but giving it a chance.
Thankfully, it didn't dissappoint.
Disney couldn't help throwing out a teaser for a fourth, but I think everyone would be pleased if they stopped now. They've done one of the greatest trilogies in modern cinema, and there really is no need to try to add to it. The in-jokes continue to run wild, and it's probably a very good idea to have seen the first two to understand them, but it doesn't alter the fact that this is more than the typical fight scene-chase-fight scene-boredom-fight scene action adventure film. There isn't a great deal of downtime whatsoever, despite some claims of a lull in the second half before the finale. I didn't find it to be a lull, just something that required you to have your wits about you to keep up with. Quite unexpected in what should have been hack n' slash with a few good jokes, but not unwelcome. I enjoyed. Probably wasn't worth going in costume to, but is worth going to without a shadow of a doubt.
______________
One week and counting to Shadow Wars, and the infliction of TJ Dyson on a whole new set of victims. The player party is only fifteen people - I intend to have every single one of them tell me how much of a wanker I am, but to be stopped from killing me because I'm too useful. I'm brushing up on my pronunciation of "retard", and advanced getting in people's faces with rudimentary bad breath jokes. This will be a release like no other.
Last night at Wembley arena was good. Very good. As this concert was coming off the back of the release of Bat Out Of Hell III back in october, though it was officially entitled the Seize the Night tour (off the album, though the track was originally written by Jim as Carpe Noctem for Bat II but never made it onto the final release), it's unoffical subtitle was the Three Bats tour - only songs from the three albums were performed, so the entire thing was one long angst filled noisefest. Chris and I counted fifty two moving head lights, simply enough fixed placement lanterns, and two separate fifteen-piece line arrays on each side of the stage. We didn't see where they'd hidden the bass bins but given the kick of the drum kit they had to be screwed into the floor. From row seventeen in the centre, no more than ten yards from the stage, we had quite a good view, too.
To say nothing of the music.
Meatloaf live is now more of an institution than a music show. The band itself is perfectly capable of performing the songs without the input of their lead singer, as they're never quite sure what he's going to come out with, in what manner or rhythm. Not that he can't do it properly (the recording studio proves that), he just doesn't. He chimes in when he feels like it and the crowd follow him wherever he goes on stage. The live versions of Out of the Frying Pan, complete with a five-jet flamethrower behind the band that we could feel the instant heat of in the crowd (God knows what it much have been like on stage), and Blind As A Bat, in a good deal harder arrangement than on Bat III, were my high points of the show, but there really was nothing that wasn't absolutely brilliant. Bat Out Of Hell always deserves a special mention, as the crowd goes simply delerious and the volume gets jacked up another couple of notches so this sheer wall of sound flies off the stage into the already willingly bleeding ear drums of the front few rows. My throat hurts, my neck is stiff and my legs are complaining from bouncing round on the spot, but I don't care. I'd go back again tonight.
______________
So, Pirates III (no spoilers ahead). Considering the hype and the trailers that had been out for over a month, we went along on Thursday night hoping that it wouldn't drop the ball. I even showed up in costume, something I've only ever done for Rocky Horror before, so I was paying it a good deal more respect than I thought it was due, but giving it a chance.
Thankfully, it didn't dissappoint.
Disney couldn't help throwing out a teaser for a fourth, but I think everyone would be pleased if they stopped now. They've done one of the greatest trilogies in modern cinema, and there really is no need to try to add to it. The in-jokes continue to run wild, and it's probably a very good idea to have seen the first two to understand them, but it doesn't alter the fact that this is more than the typical fight scene-chase-fight scene-boredom-fight scene action adventure film. There isn't a great deal of downtime whatsoever, despite some claims of a lull in the second half before the finale. I didn't find it to be a lull, just something that required you to have your wits about you to keep up with. Quite unexpected in what should have been hack n' slash with a few good jokes, but not unwelcome. I enjoyed. Probably wasn't worth going in costume to, but is worth going to without a shadow of a doubt.
______________
One week and counting to Shadow Wars, and the infliction of TJ Dyson on a whole new set of victims. The player party is only fifteen people - I intend to have every single one of them tell me how much of a wanker I am, but to be stopped from killing me because I'm too useful. I'm brushing up on my pronunciation of "retard", and advanced getting in people's faces with rudimentary bad breath jokes. This will be a release like no other.
