Seize the Night (also known as the Three Bats tour) is a 2007 world tour by

Meat Loaf Michael Lee Aday (born Marvin Lee Aday; September 27, 1947 – January 20, 2022), known professionally as Meat Loaf, was an American rock singer and actor. He was noted for his powerful, wide-ranging voice and theatrical live shows. He is on t ...

to promote the album '' Bat Out of Hell III: The Monster Is Loose''. Some concerts in April were cancelled due to Meat Loaf's ill health. Just over an hour into a concert in

Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne ( RP: , ), or simply Newcastle, is a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. The city is located on the River Tyne's northern bank and forms the largest part of the Tyneside built-up area. Newcastle is ...

on 31 October 2007, he told the audience that it was the last of his life, and walked off stage. He was later diagnosed with an "inter-

vocal cord cyst Vocal fold cysts (also known as ''vocal cord cysts'') are benign masses of the membranous vocal folds. These cysts are enclosed, sac-like structures that are typically of a yellow or white colour. They occur unilaterally on the midpoint of the med ...

" and cancelled the remaining dates on his European tour. Playing down the comments he made at Newcastle, in a statement he said "I'll be back." A DVD of the tour was released in October 2007, entitled '' 3 Bats Live''. It also contains a bonus disc featuring the promotional videos and animations from ''Bat III''. The DVD also features '' Meat Loaf: In Search of Paradise'', a documentary about the tour.

Musicians

Many musicians from recent tours returned to play in the

Neverland Express Meat Loaf’s Neverland Express was the rotating backing band for the late American singer Meat Loaf. Band lineups 1977–78 (''Bat Out of Hell'') * Bob Kulick: lead guitars * Bruce Kulick: guitars * Steve Buslowe: bass, vocals * Jim Steinman: ...

band. The most major change was the departure of

Patti Russo Patricia Russo (May 20, 1964) is an American singer and songwriter. She is perhaps best known as Meat Loaf's former female lead vocalist, as she toured the world with his band Neverland Express between 1993 and 2013. Since then, she has embarked ...

, who had toured with Meat Loaf for 13 years. Vocalist Aspen Miller and saxophonist/keyboardist Dave Luther joined the band. He opened the show as lead on "All Revved up with No Place to Go".

Paul Crook Paul Crook (born February 12, 1966) is an American guitarist known for his work recording and performing with Meat Loaf. He has also recorded and toured with Anthrax, Sebastian Bach and Marya Roxx. Biography Growing up in Green Brook Townshi ...

, Randy Flowers, Mark Alexander, and

John Miceli John Miceli (born May 29, 1961 in Long Island, New York) is the drummer for Meat Loaf's backing band, the Neverland Express. Meat Loaf Miceli began touring with Meat Loaf in 1991, and was a part of the Neverland Express when '' Bat Out of Hell ...

performed on lead guitar, guitar, piano and drums, respectively.

Kasim Sulton Kasim Sulton (born December 8, 1955) is an American bass guitarist, keyboardist and vocalist. Best known for his work with Utopia, Sulton sang lead on 1980's "Set Me Free," Utopia's only top 40 hit in the United States. As a solo artist, Sulton ...

was

bass guitar The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and ...

and

musical director A music(al) director or director of music is the person responsible for the musical aspects of a performance, production, or organization. This would include the artistic director and usually chief conductor of an orchestra or concert band, the ...

Marion Raven Marion Elise Ravn (born 25 May 1984), better known abroad as Marion Raven, is a Norwegian singer and songwriter. Raven formed the pop duo M2M with Marit Larsen, though they ceased performing together in 2002. Raven was later signed as a solo ar ...

joined Meat Loaf for the first leg. She was the supporting act, promoting her album '' Set Me Free''. Meat Loaf introduced her on stage at the latter stages of the concerts to duet on "

It's All Coming Back to Me Now "It's All Coming Back to Me Now" is a power ballad written by Jim Steinman. According to Steinman, the song was inspired by ''Wuthering Heights'', and was an attempt to write "the most passionate, romantic song" he could ever create. ''The Sunda ...

". Supporting acts for the second leg included backing singer C.C. Colletti and Mother Pearl.

Dates

Set list

# "All Revved Up with No Place to Go" (part) # "

Paradise by the Dashboard Light "Paradise by the Dashboard Light" is a song written by Jim Steinman. It was released in 1977 on the album ''Bat Out of Hell'', with vocals by the American musician Meat Loaf alongside Ellen Foley. An uncommonly long song for a single, it has bec ...

" # " You Took the Words Right out of My Mouth" # "Out of the Frying Pan (And Into the Fire)" # "Life Is a Lemon and I Want My Money Back" # "

I'd Do Anything for Love (But I Won't Do That) "I'd Do Anything for Love (But I Won't Do That)" is a song written by Jim Steinman, and recorded by American rock singer Meat Loaf featuring Lorraine Crosby. The song was released in August 1993 as the first single from his sixth album, '' Bat O ...

" # " Objects in the Rear View Mirror May Appear Closer than They Are" # "

Rock and Roll Dreams Come Through "Rock and Roll Dreams Come Through" is a song written by American composer Jim Steinman. It was first featured on Steinman's 1981 solo album '' Bad for Good'', with lead vocals by an uncredited Rory Dodd. It was later recorded by American singer ...

" # "Seize the Night" (part) # "The Monster Is Loose" # "Bad for Good" # "If It Ain't Broke, Break It" # "Blind as a Bat" # "

Two Out of Three Ain't Bad "Two Out of Three Ain't Bad" is a power ballad performed by the American musician Meat Loaf. It is a track off his 1977 album ''Bat Out of Hell'', written by Jim Steinman. It spent 23 weeks on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, peaking at #11, and earned ...

" # "

Bat Out of Hell ''Bat Out of Hell'' is the 1977 debut album by American rock singer Meat Loaf and composer Jim Steinman. It is one of the best-selling albums in history. The album was developed from a musical, ''Neverland'', a futuristic rock version of ''P ...

" # "

Black Betty "Black Betty" ( Roud 11668) is a 20th-century African-American work song often credited to Huddie "Lead Belly" Ledbetter as the author, though the earliest recordings are not by him. Some sources claim it is one of Lead Belly's many adaptations ...

" # "

Mercury Blues "Mercury Blues" is a song written by rural blues musician K. C. Douglas and Robert Geddins, and first recorded by Douglas in 1948.Leadbitter, M. and Slaven, N., ''Blues Records 1943 to 1970 Vol. 1: A-K'', London: Record Information Services 2nd ...

" # "

Gimme Shelter "Gimme Shelter" is a song by English rock band the Rolling Stones. Released as the opening track from band's 1969 album ''Let It Bleed''. The song covers topics of war, murder, rape and fear. It features prominent guest vocals by American singer ...

" Other songs: # "In the Land of the Pig, The Butcher Is King" (replaced The Monster Is Loose) # "I'm Gonna Love Her for Both of Us" (played since Dortmund, planned for cancelled shows)

Critical reaction

The staging of "

" received a poor critical reaction due to the 32 years age difference between Meat Loaf and Aspen Miller, the latter dressed in a small costume. After consistent comments in the press, the staging was changed so that the band were dressed in 1970s clothing for the song so that it was divorced from reality. Meat Loaf even wore a wig for some concerts so that he appeared as he did when the first ''Bat'' album was released in 1977."In Search of Paradise", ''3 Bats'' DVD

Cancellations

Meat Loaf cancelled some concerts in April due to ill health. During a performance in

, UK on October 31, 2007, at the opening of "

" he suggested that the crowd of thousands should enjoy the performance as it was the last of his career. He attempted to sing the first line of the song, but instead said "Ladies and gentlemen, I love you, thank you for coming, but I can no longer continue." Removing the jacket he was wearing, he thanked the audience for 30 years, said "goodbye forever" and left the stage. The next day his tour promoter, Andrew Miller, refuted that this was the end for Meat Loaf and that he would continue touring after suitable rest. His management initially claimed that the singer had "acute

laryngitis Laryngitis is inflammation of the larynx (voice box). Symptoms often include a hoarse voice and may include fever, cough, pain in the front of the neck, and trouble swallowing. Typically, these last under two weeks. Laryngitis is categorised ...

." Nearly a week later he announced that he had been diagnosed with an inter-vocal cyst, and cancelled the remaining dates of his European tour. He announced that he would return, however. He began his ''Casa de Carne'' tour in summer 2008 featuring the return of his long-time duet partner

. Also, in an attempt to compensate for cutting short the show at Newcastle, he took part in a charity

penalty shoot-out The penalty shootout is a method of determining a winner in sports matches that would have otherwise been drawn or tied. The rules for penalty shootouts vary between sports and even different competitions; however, the usual form is similar to pen ...

at the city's

football stadium Football stadium may refer to: * A stadium used in gridiron football, association football or Australian rules football * A soccer-specific stadium Soccer-specific stadium is a term used mainly in the United States and Canada to refer to a sp ...

References

First leg dates
{{DEFAULTSORT:Seize The Night Tour, The Meat Loaf concert tours 2007 concert tours