Saturday 2nd February 08 - Steve Steinman's Bat Trilogy at The Futurist Theatre, Scarborough (2/2) By Steve Rudd

(1/2), (2/2).

Later, in the second half of the show, Steve admitted that when they'd attempted to sing together on It's All Coming Back To Me Now on previous occasions, that he'd let the side down with his vocal performances. Thus, Steve temporarily ducked off stage, leaving Emily in the limelight to literally bring the house down with the song, first sung by Celine Dion before Meatloaf recorded his take for Bat 3. The first song to open Act Two was Seize The Night, another track taken from Bat 3. Decked in white, Steve presided over proceedings from an elevated section of the stage, surveying the frolicking fans below.

Thankfully, Steve is forever interacting with the crowd in the most rib-tickling manner. His off-the-cuff wisecracks are legendary, and he never misses an opportunity to inject fun into the show so that it becomes a communal form of sheer escapism. At one point when he was encouraging people to clap and sing along, one man in the crowd upped and left, bound for the toilet, only for Steve to take such an action personally, joking that the man didn't have to participate if he didn't want to. Light-hearted banter aside, Steve then plunged into I Would Do Anything For Love, with Shereen 'Fluffy' Webb dancing her tights off while Emily injected her all into the classic power-ballad.

'This one'll warm you up!' Steve bellowed in introduction to one of only a handful of songs played from Bat 2, charging into a barnstorming version of Out of The Frying Pan with more gusto than the winter wind pummeling the seafront promenade outside. Yet an epic rendition of Paradise By The Dashboard Light got both him and the crowd revved up to the hottest extent, with the hormone-fuelled tale of two young lovers on the verge of taking their relationship that one crucial step further allowing Steve to serenade Emily in showstopping style, theatrically played-out in the most tongue-in-cheek manner imaginable.

Hell, we were even treated to an electrifying rendition of Dead Ringer For Love, even though the track didn't feature on any of the Bat albums.

As always, the climax of the show barreled forth in the monstrous form of Bat Out of The Hell itself... undeniably one of the greatest rock songs ever written. Giving it his all, Steve pretended to crumple in agony come one of the song's bridges, joking that he had a stitch. He didn't, of course, and he launched back into the song with unparalleled passion, provoking those few people in the crowd who weren't already on their feet to immediately stand up and applaud.

And applaud everybody did, for a man and a band that never fail to entertain, as though their lives and their pride depend on it.

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