Product Details

• Actors: Meat Loaf
• Format: Color, DVD, NTSC
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Number of discs: 2
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: Sanctuary Records
• DVD Release Date: October 5, 2004
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (41 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B0002SPQ18
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #56,237 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

LIVE WITH THE MELBOURNE SYMPHONY ORCH - DVD Movie

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, October 15, 2004

By 

K. Ellis "kjjcellis" (Central Coast, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Meat Loaf - Live with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra (DVD)

A high energy performance in 2004 in Australia. Overall, this is a must see for Meat Loaf fans and recommended for those who have never heard of him. This is Meat Loaf's best dvd by far. This one is a keeper. The encore performance of "Bat Out of Hell" is spectacular.....

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A performer like no other...., November 1, 2004

By 

RippinUpTheDisco "RippinUpTheDisco" (Scotland, UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Meat Loaf - Live with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra (DVD)

I think you either get Meat Loaf or you dont. But regardless of that i think every music fan should witness this DVD at least once in their lifetime -- ok, so im probably a little bias because i happen to get what it is that Meat Loaf is about and i shudder to imagine a world so dull without this great man and his songs. I've heard alot of his performances throughtout his phenomenal three-decade career -- but this one is without doubt his best.

The live versions on here of those timeless classics make the original studio recordings seem positively subdued. Meat's voice booming and soaring to newly found heights of power and emotion, with his trademark streaming notes almost tearing the arena from its foundation. Quite remarkable to consider that Meat underwent heart surgery only two months prior to this show -- and fought various boughts of illness throughout this gruelling fifteen month world tour, billed as the last. If this is the end of the road for Meat and his live shows he goes out on top.

Meat Loaf is in a league of his own -- over the top and somewhere on the other side -- theres no other performer out there to compare him with, and he makes other so-called performers today seem as exciting as a crash course on tapestry. And while other 'A-list' artist's seem to spend their careers snitching between the pages of celebrity magazines -- Meat Loaf has largely avoided the world of celebrity and just gone out there and done the job. A singer and a actor -- Meat is a true artist who seems able to work with any canvas. Dont get me wrong, im from the younger generation of music fans but i just know true showmanship and real kick-ass rock when i come across it.

The orchestra works magically -- infact, the songs sound like they were written with a grand orchestration in mind. The orchestra doesnt drown out Meat's band (a band that he so rightly declares as the greatest rock band in the world) and he aint wrong -- they are all performing legends in their own rights - even Kasim Sulon's in there. Patti Russo is as mind blowing as ever -- and why does she not have a recording deal?

The show doesnt rely on special effects -- Meat is his own special effects, although the lighting is awesome, the fire canons are really kewel and the choir boys are a fantastic addition. The sound is real good -- although more attention could have been paid to the mixing of the DVD as someone on occasion has forgot to level out the audience noise when they cut between songs and it sounds quite crude. Dont get too excited about the extra features -- i rate them two stars from five. The behind the scenes footage is acted out like a sketch that repeats for each band member, its entertaining enough i guess. The commentary track gives new insights into the songs, the Meat and the band -- but to be honest, i just wanted to hear Meat sing.

All in all, this is one of the best DVDs that you could own -- Meat works his ass off and earns the cover price you pay one hundred times over with a performance delivered like the lives of his children depended upon it. Yes, he is without doubt the king of rock. Big respect and much gratitude to Meat Loaf for this baby.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the greatest live performances, January 7, 2006

By 

Paul, reviewer extraordinaire "Paul" (UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Meat Loaf - Live with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra (DVD)

Meat Loaf is a rock veteran and really proves it with this. I've heard a few people moan because he sings out of key in a few of his songs, but in my opinion that is totally beside the point. He is almost 60 years old and is singing songs that a 30 year old tenor should be singing, yikes, even Pavarotti has resorted to miming and he isn't much older than Meat Loaf. The fact is, as well as singing the songs well, he drives them with so much passion and emotion that he really brings these mini-operas to life. You can really feel every gut-wrenching moment when he sings 'For Crying Out Loud' and the amount of emotion he delivers in 'Two Out Of Three Ain't Bad' is phenomenal. When performing, Meat may not give a Robbie Williams style performance with flips and impressive jumps, but his presence just really gives you everything you need and just looking at him, you know he's done it before. Now, you cannot mention Meat Loaf without mentioning the sensational orchestra. I was very impressed when I first heard them on the DVD. To be honest I didn't expect much from them at first because the songs themselves were already very operatic and theatrical, but I was totally wrong. The orchestra add a whole new dimension to the songs as well as providing them with a much heavier base which was extremely impressive. If there is one live DVD out there that you should own then it is this one. Great stuff.