Meat Loaf — Born To Rock World Tour

Hi everybody!

To my old friends, welcome back. It’s me, Meat! For those of you here for the first time, I just say "Welcome!" I, along with the band and crew, have been working very hard to bring you an exciting new show. We have attempted to create something original, innovative, imaginative, neoteric, interesting, prototypical, different, ingenious, cinematic, dramatic, comical, clever and fresh………………The Final Frontier!!! Holy Cow! {I hope this hasn’t been done before!} The music that you hear before the show begins is comprised of motion picture sound tracks. Perhaps you will recognize some of them. I hope you will enjoy yourselves as I enjoy bringing it to you. So get ready to escape with me and the Neverland Express as we transport you away on a Rock and Roll journey. Let’s have some real fun! I just cannot tell you how much I’ve missed you all and how lucky I feel to have the opportunity to come back out on the road and entertain you. Thank you for coming to see me. I love you all very much and wish that I could personally give each and every one of you a great big hug (do you think that was too sappy?) So, may God bless you and keep you safe………………and………………eternally………Rockin’!!!!

An Evening at the Cinema

Where The Rubber Meets The Road
Midnight At The Lost And Found
Life Is A Lemon (And I Want My Money Back)
Dead Ringer For Love
You Took The Words Right Out Of My Mouth (Hot Summer Night)
I’d Lie For You And That’s The Truth
Original Sin
Amnesty Is Granted
Not A Dry Eye In The House
I’d Do Anything For Love (But I Won’t Do That)
Left In The Dark
Paradise By The Dash Board Light
Encore: Two Out Of Three Ain’t Bad

The Band

Mark Alexander

What’s it like to play with Meat Loaf?
Playing piano for Meat Loaf is kind of like taking batting practice with Roger Clemens pitching balls. You never know what to expect because Meat never sings a song the same way twice. You really have stay on your toes. He’s a rare breed, always in the moment, always full of passion. It’s a little bit different, and the spontaneity adds a danger element that’s a large part of what makes his shows exciting. Just make sure you hit the ball!

Steve Buslowe

We’ve got a real pressure cooker going here…
Familiar words to any Meat Loaf fan, and a familiar situation to any member of the Neverland Express! Meat Loaf always gives 110 percent—and expects no less from his band. Whether we are rehearsing, in the recording studio, playing the smallest club or the largest arena, Meat Loaf is in overdrive and we have to keep up. It’s my 19th year on stage with the man, and I can assure you that the 1996 model is all revved and ready to rock! By the way, that 110 percent I mentioned? That goes for the softball game on the day off too, which is why I’ll do anything for Meat, but I won’t play softball.

John Miceli

Much appreciation for the opportunity I have been given.
Expecting each show to be better than the last. Meat Loaf makes you strive for the last ounce of energy left in your body.
And then give it some more.
Two rehearsals with the band and it was off to Germany.

Loving that after show cigar hang.
Oh no, what’s he going to do next.
After the show seeing Meat Loaf collapse from exhaustion is scary.
Faster! Harder! Louder! That’s it!

Patti Russo

Once upon a time there was a salon assistant who dreamt of becoming a singer. Though she worked with a small local band in the wee hours of the night, her visions were far greater.

One day she came across an audition in the local music paper. Quickly she gathered her songs and went on her way. She was to audition for the King of Bublandia, who ruled the world of Rock n’ Roll. She sang with a passion so great that when she left the audition, she kicked a local peddler in the street (well it was really a local bus, but hey, it’s my fairy tale!). The king sounded the trumpets that they had found their singer (OK, so he called on the phone), and she sang happily ever after.

Life with Meat Loaf has been like a Rock n’ Roll fairy tale come true. He took me under his wing and saw someone who wanted to learn and let me go for it. Very few people are fortunate enough to get a chance to follow their dreams and live them. Fewer still get an honest person to give them that chance—do I feel lucky! I’ve been dealt a royal flush.

Kasim Sulton

Recipe for Meat Loaf
6 band members
50 crew and tech personnel
25 tons of staging, sound & lights
85,000 frequent flier miles
3 years in Europe, U.S., England, Canada and Australia
12 — 15 songs an evening
38,000 albums worldwide
A dash of truck stops
Combine ingredients in large arena, alternate between sitting and standing for 2-3 hours. You’ll know when it’s done…
The Greatest Show on Earth

Pat Thrall

When Meat hired me in 1988 I spent almost a full week, 10 hours a day, slaving over Meat’s albums and live tapes to learn what are very complex songs and arrangements so that when we started rehearsals for the tour I would be as prepared as possible. The first day of rehearsal I was a bit nervous because I didn’t want to screw up too much, but hey, it was the first of three days of rehearsals so what do you expect? Meat comes in and says Let’s do ‘Bat Out Of Hell’. We did it and it went pretty well. After it was over Meat said, That’s great! You’ll be fine Pat …and the rest of the day he had us work on an old Buddy Holly song the band had never played before. That’s the great thing about Meat…you never know what to expect from him and that’s what keeps the gig fun and fresh. There’s never a dull moment! Thanks for the thrills, Meat.

Credits

The Neverland Express

Steve Buslowe: Guitar, Vocals & Musical Director
Kasim Sulton: Guitars, Keyboards, Vocals
Mark Alexander: Piano, Keyboards, Vocals
Pat Thrall: Lead Guitar, Vocals
John Miceli: Drums
Patti Russo: Vocals
Pearl Aday: Vocals

Touring Perssonnel

Craig Evans: Tour Management
Rick Fagan: Tour Management
Alan Hornall: Production Manager
John "J.T." Thomson: Stage Manager
George Wehrlin: House Sound Engineer
Owen Orzack: Monitor Engineer
William Sheldon III: Lighting Director/Designer
Anthony Roan: Guitar Technician
Dave Clements: Guitar Technician
Rick Huber: Keyboard Technician
Eric Anderson: Drum Technician
Andrea Donnelly: Wardrobe
Peter "Bear" Barna: Stage Carpenter
Brian Quinn: Carpenter
Terry Wade: Carpenter
Arthur Russo: Head Rigger
Derek Hay: Rigger
Josh Koch: Video Editor
Scott Russell: Projectionist
Matthew Askem: Projectionist
Rod Price: Sound Technician
Sean Sullivan: Sound Technician
Mike Rogers: Sound Technician
Carl Burnett: Lighting Technician
Tom Lesh: Lighting Technician
Dave Waldon: Lighting Technician
Brian Wares: Lighting Technician
Allison James: Catering
Christine Mooney: Catering
Maraide De Barra: Catering
Anne Crawford: Catering
John Curtis: Band Bus Driver
Mike McCartney: Crew Bus Driver
John Bromwich: Crew Bus Driver
Herbie Bayliss Smith: Truck Driver
Dave Harvey: Truck Driver
John Ward: Truck Driver
Pat Doona: Truck Driver
Andy Barr: Truck Driver

Management: The Left Bank Organization—Los Angeles—New York—Nashville—London
Booking Agency: John Giddings, Solo Agency—London; Mitch Rose, CAA—Los Angeles; Jonathan Levin, Artis & Audience—New York
Business Management: Bernie Gilhuly
Tour Coordinator: Tribe, Inc.
Attorney: Garry Stiffelman, Esq., Ziffren, Brittenham & Branca
Throat Guy: Dr. Ed Lane
Photography: Amanda Aday, Lester Cohen, Rick Fagan, Mark Hadley, Rick Huber, Raymond Lee, Kevin Mazur, Neil Preston, Norman Watson
Merchandising: Winterland Productions
Tourbook Design: Martin Heirakuji Desgin
Litography: City Graphics, Inc.
Fanclub: More than a fan club! The Meat Loaf Hot Line: 1-900-4MT-LOAF. For all information, updated on a daily basis. Available in N. America only ($1.99 per call)

Vendors

Travel Agency UK: Trinifold Travel—London, England
Travel Agency US: Tribe Travel—Los Angeles, CA
Bus Company: Phoenix Bussing Services—Hants, England
Trucking Company: Redburn Transfer, Middlesex, England
Sound Company: 8th Day Sound—Cleveland, OH
Lighting Company: NEG Earth Lighting—London England
Set Construction: George & Goldberg—Paramount, CA
Freight: M.D.G. Cargo Services—East Sussex, England
Catering: Snakatak—Sheffield, England
Projection: P.S.L.—London, England
Tour Passes: Perri Entertainment—Reno, Nevada
Insurance: Haas & Wilkerson Insurance—Nashville, TN

Endorsements

Larry Brooks and Christopher Zerbe at Seymour Duncan
Mike Solomon at Beyer Dynamic
Dave Cowles at GHS Strings
Jim Chowing at Rocktron
Gill Griffith at Eventide
Jimmy Archey at Gibson Guitars
Bill Mitchell at Mitchell Guitars
Rich Friedrion at Dean Markley
Larry Hartke at Hartke Systems
Jane McNall at Modulus Graphite
Greg Romanl at D’Addario
Frank Sheehan at Hammond
Eugene Seagriff and Don Cicchetti at Technics
Michael Sciortino at Quick Lock Stands
Jeffrey Rippe at Rocksonics
John Barrie Dyke and Oliver Link at Sonor Drums
John King, John De Christopher and Lenny Di Muzio at Zildjian
Tracy and Kelly Firth at Vic Firth Sticks
John Roderick Jr. and Kim Graham at Gibralter Hardware