Just got back from NYC; here's my combined review of both shows:

1. Is Nothing Sacred

Great vocals & phrasing from Rob Evan, he really is superb live.

Adam Ben-David took the piano on this (as good as Margoshes), but there were no BV's.

If they record this, or do it live again, would like to see the coda BV's from the Celine Dion version brought in.

2. The Future Ain't What It Used To Be

Adrienne Warren on this with Steve Margoshes on piano, and Ben-David on organ.

Adrienne's voice is simply amazing, and every note was crystal clear.

Crowd got really excited over some of the long held notes on this one.

I think a real star has been found, and Jim & Steve really 'ought to start thinking about a solo album for her.

3. Great Boleros Of Fire

Full band then came on with Steve flying up & down the keyboard like a man possessed, and Alex Skolnick introducing some nice variations.

In fact, the band were superb all night; very tight and obviously well rehearsed.

4. Only When I Feel

Band segued straight into this one (missing out the slow verse intro).

All the vocalists then came on (dancing) together, and produced a great performance. The track finished with the slow coda performed superbly by Rob, which is the best part of the song (they should always keep this part in, when performing live).

5. Loving You's A Dirty Job...

Elaine & Rob on this, and another faultless performance, with great BV's from Neal & Adrienne.

Loved the line '...pounding, pounding chorus of our desperate hearts...'

On the first night Alex came in for the solo but his guitar gave out, but great solo on the second night (very similiar to the recorded version but again some nice variations).

6. Safe Sex

Adrienne again, with just piano from Steve. Another great vocal, with almost identical phrasing to the Pandora's Box version.

7. Objects In The Rearview Mirror...

Neal took the first verse on this, and although there was absolutely nothing wrong with his vocal, his voice is nowhere near as powerful as Rob.

I think they missed the second verse out, and Rob & Elaine finished the song as a duet.

Alex produced an absolutely stunning solo on this
and got well deserved applause from the crowd, causing Rob to pause before coming back in.

Matt's drum parts were also great on this song (ie very loud in all the right places).

8. An American Elegy

This is the Dear Mama spoken word piece performed by Rob (now minus the LBAGG lyrics), going into Braver Than We Are, with vocals from all four.

Vocally this was probably the best perfomance, on both nights. The ending is very haunting, with Neal's voice well suited to singing the '...long since died and now are only bloody ghosts...' line, with all four then coming in for a stunning '...makes us braver than we are...'

The new lyrics seemed to flow much better with the music, than the February shows, and I now love the '...bloody ghosts...' line.

However, without the doubt, the best lyrics are from the Karine Hannah version, with the '...crusaders of the heart...' coda, and if this is on the album, would prefer to hear this version.

If Jim settles with the 'war' lyrics, then I think he will be doing a disservice to the great melody, which to me suits the love theme much better.

9. It's All Coming Back To Me Now

Elaine on this, with just Steve on piano. Absolutely stunning vocals on both nights, with the audience really applauding the '...baby, baby, baby...' lines.

Also loved the way she banged the piano lid on the second night, during the '...banished ev'ry memory you & I had ever made...' line.

Audience gave her a standing ovation both nights and she seemed quite emotional from the response.

10. Not Allowed To Love

Neal, Elaine & Adrienne all sang on this one, with the band playing a new, slighty reggae arrangement, with what seemed to be an unusual time signature.

The new arr didn't quite work for me, but would like to hear it more. Still think the Rob & Mandy Gonzales version is the best to date.

11. Total Eclipse Of The Heart (w/ Bonnie Tyler)

Elaine introduced Bonnie to a huge cheer, and she produced great performances both nights. I was slightly surprised with her voice, as it sounded a lot better than February (although I am not sure how many more songs she could have done on the night).

Neal contributed the 'Turnaround' parts and again his voice is well suited to the higher range stuff.

Band were especially good on this one, with Adam triggering the 'orchestral' effects from a box on his keyboard.

12. What Part Of My Body Hurts The Most

Absolutely my favourite song of both nights, and probably my favourite Steinman track ever.

Simply a 'tour de force' performance from Rob, who now seems to own this song, inside out.

Superb BV's from the other three, and a great band performance.

They reverted to the slow piano & vocal only chorus intro, before the first verse came in, with Matt playing live, a similiar pattern to the
previously heard drum machine.

All string/synth parts were played live by Adam, which were amazing in their own right, but some of the more intricate parts from February, were missing (probably because you would need two players live).

Great standing ovation at the end, and I confess to shouting out 'fantastic song Jimmy'.

13. Two Out Of Three Ain't Bad

Rob & Alex on this one, with great guitar from Alex. This song is fairly easy on piano, but a lot more difficult to play the same arrangment on guitar. Alex pulled it off with ease, and threw in some really nice harmonic notes, in places.

Rob got the audience to supply the 'don't be sad' answer BV's, which went down really well, especially the second night.

14. Still The Children: A Requiem

Rob prefaced this with thanking Steve Rinkoff for 'keeping the engine revving' and Jim for writing 'all of these dreams'. Huge standing ovation then followed on both nights.

On the second night he then stated that Steve Margoshes was working on orchestrations for future shows and that a new album was coming very shortly, entitled 'Bat Out Of Hell: The Next Generation'. Don't know if this was a joke or not but he seemd pretty sincere (should have asked him afterwards).

He then said that this was '...one of Jim's
latest...' with vocal arrangements from Steve Margoshes.

All four sang on this and it sounded a hundred times better than February. The multi-vocal middle section still seems slightly unclear but this is probably partly down to not knowing the exact lyrics.

Adrienne ended the song with the 'take me home' line, and this was a great way to finish the show, and a great last track for any album.

Overall, probably the best shows to date by far, with a great vibe in the room, on both nights.
The band really seems to be coming together into a well rehearsed and 'cohesive unit'.

Really hope they build on this momentum quickly, as opposed to waitng 5-6 months before doing another show.