15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Press and Journal
Meat Loaf tribute act leaves the Aberdeen audience 'All Revved Up'
There's a fine line between homage and impersonation.
Heaven Can Wait, the Meat Loaf tribute act currently touring the UK, knows exactly where to walk it.
Big vocals, high drama, and more than a few raised eyebrows.
The show knows exactly what it is, and in Aberdeen on Wednesday night it delivered everything the crowd came for.
More than three years on from Meat Loaf's passing, his music still has the power to fill a theatre and stir a crowd which is a testament to just how deeply it connected.
Taking on Meat Loaf is no small feat – literally.
It's not just about hitting the notes. It's about channelling that wild-eyed, operatic melodrama that made him such a one-off.
Frontman Lee Brady is a brave soul, stepping into the spotlight with the swagger and stamina needed to power through an epic Jim Steinman setlist.
And to his credit, he delivers. No one can truly be Meat Loaf, but Brady finds the theatrical core and runs with it.
During two 45 minute sets he's backed by a rock-solid band of seasoned UK musicians, including female vocalist Kerry Carlton, handling everything from Paradise by the Dashboard Light to Dead Ringer for Love.
This wasn't just a karaoke night in wigs; there was proper musicianship on display.
Some music fans can be a bit sniffy about these shows, but it's worth noting that many players split their time between tributes and original projects.
Far from stifling creativity, often gigs like this help fund it.
The setlist is exactly what it needs to be.
We got the big Bat Out of Hell hitters, along with some deep cuts.
The show leans into the over-the-top drama that made these songs iconic. It's ridiculous, of course, but that's exactly the point.
A quick nod, too, to the venue.
The Tivoli Theatre is one of Aberdeen's hidden gems.
Rich in heritage and with an intimate feel, it's a perfect match for a show built on connection and emotion rather than sheer scale.
The all-seated setup perhaps encouraged a reserved response from the polite Aberdeen audience.
The crowd, mostly folks who were around when Bat Out of Hell first came screaming out of radios nearly half a century ago, took some coaxing before they got up and let loose during the second half.
In the end, Heaven Can Wait isn't trying to replace the original.
It's trying to keep the fire burning.
And for Wednesday night's Aberdeen crowd, it did.
If you came looking for subtlety, you were in the wrong century.
But if you came looking for a rock opera dream of leather, heartbreak and passion, you'd do anything for this show.
It's no surprise that it's set to return next year.
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