Back to Germany and back to reticent crowds but they were more lively than Hannover and Cologne! I saw Kasim here in both 1996 and 1999 but I just could NOT find the entrance tonight!

This was a seated venue (which doesn’t help the atmosphere) but Chris de Burgh encouraged people to come to the front of the stage (there was a large space between the stage and the front row) so when Meat Loaf came on stage, loads of people just swarmed - I think I noticed a look of consternation come over Kasim’s face briefly when the tide became a flood as the stage was only about two foot high!

Laith Al-Deen made a return to the tour and it was actually the best performance of his that I’ve heard so far as I kept my eyes tightly shut and just listened to the music (I had driven over 600 miles today so I was shattered anyway and I missed a fair chunk of the first half). His first song is catchy and his seconds starts quietly and builds up to a crescendo but it’s his darned stage manner that gets me! He’s not much to look at (plump with side burns that turn up at the ends!) and he struts around the stage as though he’s God’s Gift! He doesn’t know how to hold a microphone either!!

Meat Loaf’s voice was bad tonight. After twelve straight concerts in Rotterdam and having only one day with no singing (Monday), it’s not surprising but to me it sounded far worse than it did at any of the Rotterdam concerts. A German friend disagreed with me about that so I’ll bow to his knowledge (and ears!) as he’s a big Meat Loaf / Steinman fan so knows what he’s listening to whereas I tend to tune out Meat to listen to Kasim. (Apparently Meat Loaf in German is Fleischklops!)

Predictably it was the same set list for Meat Loaf as always but there was a new twist to You Took The Words Right Outta My Mouth as tonight Kasim mastered the “Two Handed Behind The Back Clapping Technique”! As I’ve mentioned in earlier reviews, Kasim will put his hand behind his back while the first violinist will clap onto it but tonight he had the guy who sits behind #1 clapping onto Kasim’s right hand too!

Meat Loaf showed off Laurie Wisefield’s talents on the guitar for quite a while tonight so Kasim walked to the left side of the stage and entertained the audience there for a while (lucky them!). Although I was near the front, with the low stage, later I couldn’t see if Kasim just stood with the orchestra or if he joined in with the sitting and standing. Yellow Submarine was great as always! As soon as he was able, Kasim moved across to the double basses and played a few rounds of the chorus (he actually played a few notes after the song had finished too that I could hear!!). At that part in the song they pluck the strings rather than using the bow but Kasim seems to know exactly where to put his fingers! Jokingly Meat Loaf joined in on another double bass too but I didn’t see him actually playing anything! While this was going on, some of the stars were doing a conga between John Miceli’s legs at the front of the stage!!

Roll on tomorow night…..!

Back to Kasim Sulton at Night Of The Proms