Paradise by Digital Light: Meat Loaf cooks at Humphrey's by the Bay

For 27 years I've wanted to see Meat Loaf in concert. On August 18, I was able to scratch it off my bucket list.

The man many of his generation consider the best rock-and-roll singer ever took the stage at Humphrey’s by the Bay at 8:30 p.m. Several attendees deserted their pricey seats to sit atop the benches along the seawall for a better, roomier view. Three songs into his set, Meat launched into the energetic "Bat Out of Hell," joking afterward that it aged him 15 years to do so. At 62, Meat is slimmer than ever, but still maintains his high energy, great voice, and charisma.

For the next two hours, fans relived over 30 years of the best of Meat Loaf. He ventured into material from his latest album, Hang Cool Teddy Bear, but those songs lacked the signature Steinman sound. That didn't seem to matter to those in attendance; they shamelessly loved everything and anything Meat performed.

The audience wanted to sing along and got their best chance on "You Took the Words Right Out of My Mouth." For me, the highlight of the evening was Meat's rendition of the poignant "Two out of Three Ain't Bad."

When Patti Russo and Meat sang "Paradise by the Dashboard Lights" (accompanied by the comical vignette they perform), Security gave up trying to enforce the "no cameras" rule. Meat's fans raised their cell phones into the air in unison, memorializing the night by digital light.

• Concert: Meat Loaf
• Date: August 18
• Venue: Humphrey's by the Bay
• Seats: Section C2, Row 13, seat 31