Meat Loaf came and raised hell
FOLLOWING the news that US rock singer Meat Loaf has died aged 74, islanders have shared fond memories of his sell-out concert in Guernsey in 1985, and the hectic events that unfolded during that night.
More than 2,000 fans flocked to see the appearance of one of the biggest names in rock and roll of the time, a local performance that would only happen once throughout the band’s entire career.
‘Pretty much every single person knew every single lyric to every song,’ said Gary Tapp, a local financial consultant and super fan who has been listening to Meat Loaf since his late teens.
He snapped up cheap tickets when he heard of the gig, but got more than he bargained for on the night when the venue was evacuated due to suspicions that a bomb was on the premises.
‘We were at the back when the announcement came in, so it was great. Everyone piled out but there were some people lingering around who refused to go outside.
‘Everyone had to leave and it was all a bit confusing. We were all thinking “this is Guernsey, this can’t be happening”. The band was pretty reluctant to leave the stage,’ said Mr Tapp.
He and his friends stayed inside and managed to move much closer to the stage while the incident was looked into.
‘We ended up being about three rows back and in the prime location,’ he said.
Mr Tapp assured us that the bomb scare was absolutely not a ploy created by him as a way to get to the front of the crowd.
Meat Loaf himself had a broken leg at the time and had been using a wheelchair, meaning it took him a little while to eventually leave the stage during the scare.
Photographer John de Garis was making his name as a photographer in the 1980s and often took concert photos for the Guernsey Press and for himself. On the evening he was tasked with shooting the gig.
‘Meat Loaf was at the top of his game and the show was fantastic.
‘It was the perfect crossover, a bit like the Rocky Horror Picture show, there was quite a lot of theatre to it all. He was a born performer.’
Supported by his five bandmates, he belted out more than a dozen of their best-known hits.
Retired islander Sue Naftel was at the gig with her husband.
‘We liked Meat Loaf and we were surprised when he was set to play at Beau Sejour, though we saw lots of great acts here in the early 80s.
‘I just remember halfway through he stopped after a song, walked to the side and came back saying there was a bomb scare and we had to evacuate.
‘Everyone laughed but he insisted that it was legitimate and we had to leave, but he said the band would continue after.
'We all left quite calmly and about 30 minutes later we were let back in and he continued with the show,’ she said.
The star was famous for his distinctive vocal style which ranged over three octaves, and was once offered to study opera. He told BBC News that he declined because he was ‘too rebellious, too crazy’.
