It was a crispy 100 degrees on the Mandalay Bay Beach as 70's rocker Meatloaf took the stage for a two hour sold out performance on Independence Day. Although the July 4 weekend overall did not resemble the usual crowdfest, the beach at Mandalay Bay was definitely the VegasHotSpot on this particular evening.
Meatloaf was the principal performer, and he worked without a net (no warm-up band). Nonetheless, it was a rocking two hour singathon. There were all the hits - Bat out of Hell, Paradise by the Dashboard Light, and Two out of Three Ain't Bad. Then there were some lesser known, but equally entertaining tunes - Life is a Lemon and I want my Money Back, You took the Words Right out of my Mouth. And even a "Storytellers" segment (from the popular VH1 show) where the band took requests from the audience. Meatloaf looked pretty darn good given his age and what he's been through. The band has picked up some younger members, including his daughter. Overall, great performance!
Each summer Mandalay Bay offers a line-up of both retro and contemporary acts out on their wave pool beach. This year acts have included the B-52, Robert Cray, Heart, Billy Idol, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and Foreigner. Last but not least for 2002 will be one of the Godfather's all-time favorites - George Thorogood. B-b-b-b-ad.
To be honest, you have to like simmering temperatures, sand up your crack, and stumbling partygoers to get the full effect. This is not an intimate setting, and the acoustics border on terrible. For most people, though, they are so tanked that they would enjoy Wayne Newton singing opera. By the way, with a thousand people in the pool, don't drink the water.
