Meat Loaf: The Show, Presented by AOL(R)CityGuide: Experience It, Be a Part of It

NEW YORK, March 28 /PRNewswire/ -- He's larger than life, a rock & roll icon and his concerts are legendary. The one and only Meat Loaf, a performer who's been to hell and back and lived to sing about it -- twice, in fact -- is about to come to a town near you.

Tickets for "Meat Loaf: The Show," presented by AOL CityGuide, will be available before they go on sale to the general public exclusively at AOLTickets.com on Monday, March 28, at noon local time through Friday, April 1, at 3 p.m., for the shows that begin with three dates at New York's famed Beacon Theatre on August 5, 7 and 9. Pre-sale tickets will be available for shows in Atlantic City (8/13), Hartford/Uncasville, CT (8/15), Boston (8/17), Sarasota Springs (8/29), Darien Center, NY (8/31), Scranton (9/2), Durham, NH (9/4), Cleveland, OH (9/8) and Clearwater, FL (9/12). This follows a two-month tour of Europe taking place from June 3 through July 20 that will take him to Germany, Denmark, Holland, Ireland, the U.K. and Switzerland.

"AOL CityGuide is pleased to offer music fans exclusive pre-sales to the hottest concerts, and Meat Loaf is just another great example," said AOL CityGuide and AOL Tickets Vice President and General Manager Scott Richman. "We're happy to be a part of what will surely be a great show."

Ron Delsener Presents President James Glancy, who has promoted several Meat Loaf tours over the years says: "His audience has remained loyal because he is a compelling live performer. His passion is contagious; both Meat and the audience are drained at the end of the night. This should be one of the summer's top live shows."

Like all Meat Loaf shows, going back to his days in "The Rocky Horror Picture Show," this 21-date concert tour encourages fans to "Experience It, Be a Part of It." Local promotions will take place in each city coordinated with radio and press to audition singers to join Meat Loaf on-stage for a performance of his classic, "Paradise by the Dashboard Light."

WBMX Boston PD Mike Mullaney calls Meat Loaf "without question one of the greatest performers in rock history, a man whose music and passion have impacted people of all ages and from all walks of life. He has some of the greatest songs EVER and when he played our Mix Lounge two years ago, it was an absolute slam dunk for our audience."

Members of Meat Loaf's fan club will be allowed to purchase special VIP Platinum ticket packages at http://www.meatloaf.net/ that let them not only meet the man himself, but, for one lucky winner chosen at random prior to the show, count off the group's opening number on-stage. Radio promotions in each city will reward those who attend each show dressed up "creatively" as their favorite character from one of Meat Loaf's songs, or who just show ingenuity, by letting them trade in their seats to sit at the side of the stage, where they can truly enjoy a Meat Loaf concert the way it's supposed to be ... as part of the show.

These shows will spotlight material from Meat Loaf's upcoming project, which could well be the next installment of his most famous work.

Meat Loaf has been active as an actor ("Fight Club," "The Salton Sea," "Crazy in Alabama," "Wayne's World," "Dead Ringer," "Roadie"), a racing car enthusiast and a fantasy sports fan and commentator. Meat Loaf's "Bat Out of Hell" and "Bat Out of Hell II: Back Into Hell" are two of the best-selling rock albums of all time, moving a total of 60 million worldwide, more than half of that in the U.S. alone.

Last year, Sanctuary Music released the DVD "Meat Loaf Live with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra." His chart-topping 1993 hit, "I'd Do Anything for Love (But I Won't Do That)" recently served as the theme to a national Dr. Pepper TV advertising campaign.

  Tour Dates:

   August 5,  2005      New York, NY           Beacon Theater
   August 7,  2005      New York, NY           Beacon Theater
   August 9,  2005      New York, NY           Beacon Theater
   August 11, 2005      Toronto, ONT           Casino Rama
   August 13, 2005      Atlantic City, NJ      Borgata Hotel & Casino
   August 15, 2005      Uncasville, CT         Mohegan Sun Arena
   August 17, 2005      Boston, MA             Bank of America Pavilion
   August 20, 2005      Lima, OH               Allen County Fair
   August 22, 2005      Vienna, VA             Wolf Trap
   August 29, 2005      Saratoga Springs, NY   Saratoga Performing Arts
                                               Center
   August 31, 2005      Darien Center, NY      Darien Lake Performing Arts
                                               Center
   September 2,  2005   Scranton, PA           Montage Mountain
   September 4,  2005   Durham, NH             Whittmore Center
   September 6,  2005   Mt. Pleasant, MI       Soaring Eagle Casino
   September 8,  2005   Cleveland, OH          Tower City Amphitheater
   September 10, 2005   Robinsonville, MS      Horshoe Casino
   September 12, 2005   Clearwater, FL         Ruth Eckerd Hall
   September 14, 2005   Hollywood, FL          Hard Rock Seminole Casino
   September 16, 2005   Biloxi, MS             Beau Rivage Casino

  About AOL(R) CityGuide/AOL(R) Tickets

AOL CityGuide is the number one network of local entertainment information on the Web covering more than 300 cities nationwide. As the ultimate tool for people who want to know where to go and what to do in the cities where they live, work and play, AOL CityGuide focuses on dining and restaurants, bars and nightlife, tickets, movies, events and the City's Best, with detailed information like directions, editorial recommendations, event tickets, and user rankings and reviews. Formerly known as the Digital City(R) service, AOL CityGuide can be found free on the Web at aolcityguide.com. AOL Tickets, a service of AOL CityGuide, offers tickets to more than 40,000 events at more than 6,000 venues, making it the most comprehensive ticketing resource online. AOL Tickets is available on the Web at AOLTickets.com.