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Meat Loaf all revved up with no tunes to go

Meat Loaf manages to put on an overpaid, bloated and tuneless performance at the AFL Grand Final.

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US singer Meat Loaf worked himself up into a frenzied performance at the AFL Grand Final and managed to miss all the notes in the process.

His medley of songs including Bat out of Hell, You Took the Words Right Out of My Mouth, Anything for Love and All Revved Up with No Place to Go was an excruciating exercise in stadium entertainment that will be remembered for all the wrong reasons.

Singing flat, behind the bar, screaming and chewing gum, the US singer couldn’t match the glory days of his famous hits.

His classic Jim Steinman songs had always brought great drama, and many would be favourites amongst the broad AFL audience, but the only drama arising from this cacophony was the amount of money that the AFL had paid and whether Meat Loaf would make it to the end of the medley in one piece.

Although he managed to get the ‘G’ singing acapella at one point, it was clear this was a performance carried by his band and backing vocalists.

After his brief show had ended, it immediately lit up Twitter with scathing comments.

The AFL Grand Final has had its share of notorious entertainment performances in the past -but this one could top them all.

Hopefully the NRL Grand Final will show the AFL how it’s done tomorrow.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jcFIwsTYFRM[/youtube]

102 Responses

  1. When meatloaf was first popular he sucked … what would make anybody think he desucked over the proceeding decades? The person(s) that thought bringing him in was a good idea should be fired.

  3. Sick of our cultural cringe. We have amazing Aussie talent, past and present. Why, oh why, do these idiots keep deferring to overseas artists? This is our premier Aussie football event. Let’s showcase Aussie talent. And Please…please please, don’t allow singers (no matter who) to ‘play’ with our national anthem. It is a sign of respect for this nation and its people to sing our anthem with dignity. Keep the vocal acrobatics for the X Factor.

  4. All the critics want to know why, between the afl and the nrl, there was such a difference in quality? Every single song at the nrl was pre-recorded and mimed to. This? Totally live on meat loafs part.

    Obviously, his performance was terrible however the venue did not aid him either.

  5. I do not understand why we need to look overseas for non-Australian acts to perform for us.
    What is wrong with Aussie bands?
    Or if you are going to get an international band, get a band that is today and not one that needs an ambulance on standby!

  8. Mr Chandler – so you’re saying that at AFL Grand Final parties (& in general) that no-one watches the pre-game entertainment, it’s just on in the background. Are you serious? You think that if Ten went with regular Saturday am/arvo programming it’ll rate 1.4 mil. really? you think so?

  9. @sound engineer

    Actually, Michael is correct. The band is a track and the Meat and Patti Russo were live.

    Bottom line, I saw the sound check. Meat is bad. He had every opportunity to work out his monitors, work out timings, do everything he needed to get it right. He just sucked, that’s the whole tale. Nothing to do with the AFL timings, the sound crew, the G acoustics, nothing. The guy is just shit. Simple.

  15. Meatloaf was terrible!!!
    Vanessa did a great job … until the last 2 words of the anthem.
    She’s a lovely girl … but someone should tell her it’s not a Rock song,
    it’s the National Anthem.

  17. @james. have you been to any afl grand final parties. people have the tv on all day in the lead up. if you polled the true afl fans. they will say dump and they have been for years

  18. @Keith, I agree about Vanessa Amorosi and the national anthem. Why, oh why do these vocalists feel compelled to carry on with the vocal gymnastics when singing the national song? It is not the place to showcase your grasp of melismatic vocals. The anthem needs to be sung exactly how it was written, nothing more and nothing less. It is a constant source of annoyance to me that so many vocalists get it so very wrong.

  19. “Michael says:

    October 1, 2011 at 8:36 pm

    The band sounded good cos they were miming..all bar Meat and Patti was coming off a backing track”

    They were live Michael, they did not mime.

  20. @Mr Chandler – I like to see the pre-game show. That and the AFL breakfast I like better than the actual game. Though last years game I thought was alright as it ended in a draw.

  21. He looked ill or mabee had a late night on the sauce, surely with the budget for such a quick performance we could lure a more professional in date act. Bliss n eso would have blown the crowd away, football’s changed since the 80s, sort it out, keep the act aussie……

  22. What a woeful performance by Meat Loaf. Hard to justify the claimed payment amount. If the AFL managers feel they must have a music by a major artist then use Australians. Vanessa damaged a good rendition by turning our national anthem into a rock ballad on the final line. It’s an anthem, keep it simple but powerful and respectful.

  24. Poor old M-loaf, one truly great album, but not so many great performances. I saw him live when he was in his prime around 30 years ago and was only average then. He needed the back up singers, I just expected better. Needless to say, I didn’t bother going again.

    This is a major aussie event and deserves much better, I don’t mind home grown or an overseas star belting out a few songs….But….they must deliver

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