Something is needed to be done with this Showtime Movies DVD releases. OK, most of them feature really collectible material wanted by Rock/Metal fans worldwide but you cannot distribute a single disc in a black box & a plain cover with no booklet/information inside, at least who's playing in this gig (OK, Patti Russo must be included) or when/where it was recorded. Imagine that the cover spine says ...Everything Live as the DVD's title, the front cover reads ...Everything Live In Mexico and the back cover states Mexico 03......Everything Live. Have mercy...
Meat Loaf (born Marvin Lee Aday in 1947) is commonly known due to his Bat Out OF Hell trilogy's massive success. The first part - released in 1977 - has now sold more than 40,000,000 copies worldwide placing itself in the Top 5 list of best selling albums worldwide (behind Thriller and Back In Black and equal to The Dark Side Of The Moon). His first album as an artist was released in 1971 - Stoney & Meatloaf, also featuring vocalist Shaun Stoney Murphy - but it was Meat Loaf's cooperation with legendary songwriter Jim Steinman and producer Todd Rundgren that resulted in the Bat Out Of Hell pomp/opera/rocknroll/symphonic Rock concept album firing up the man's career. Two more series, 1993's Bat Out Of Hell II: Back Into Hell (produced by Steinman - many may recall the I'd Do Anything For Love song) and 2006's Bat Out Of Hell III: The Monster Is Loose (produced by Desmond Child), completed the trilogy while Meat Loaf also recorded a string of less successful LPs in between.
Lacking even elementary information regarding this release, let's just get into the following: shot in Mexico during 2003, Meat Loaf presents a selective set of songs from his career backed by a wonderful band featuring sensational backing vocals giving the theatric touch needed. Meat Loaf's voice is in a very good level, his trademark grimaces are here, he does improvise his singing to fit to the atmosphere created and - overall - seems capable of holding high the spirits of his originals, especially the 1977 takes (Bat Out Of Hell and Paradise By The Dashboard Light).
In terms of audio/video quality, let's just say that the sound is very good and there's a multi-camera crew shooting to capture the gig's unique feel. Still, the picture quality is average at its best, while there's only a handful of moments that the amphitheater crowd is seen or heard during the concert.
For fans of Meat Loaf this DVD release is something not to be missed, since there are not much official concerts circulating the last years but more objective listeners should probably look around for a DVD release more tempting as a product (e.g. 2004's Live With The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra is a good choice).