After almost two decades in the court of musical theatre’s undead, Steve Steinman is hoping to achieve immortality with the most ambitious show of his career.
The former contestant on TV’s Stars In Their Eyes first staged his bloodsucker spectacular Vampires Rock in 2004, and now as its 20th anniversary looms he’s taking a new and expanded version of the classic rock hit to some of the UK’s biggest venues, including Aberdeen’s own P&J Live.
Featuring a 20-piece symphonic rock orchestra alongside his regular bandmates, Day Of The Dead includes fresh takes on standards made famous by such legends as Metallica, Alice Cooper, Iron Maiden, Queen, AC/DC and Evanescence.
Manchester-raised Steve, 58, who first found fame in 1990 while performing Meat Loaf anthems, says his latest offering is a massive step-up in scale from his previous creations – and he hopes punters will see it as a value-for-money option amid escalating ticket prices elsewhere.
“I want to make it clear that this is a theatre production made for arenas, because people going to shows these days are starting to think it’s normal to get a four-piece band with a couple of flashing lights,” he declares.
‘We’re a massive production’
“I call them the transit van gang – they’re coming from a club or bar environment and chancing their arm in theatres. It seems to be that’s become the norm, which is not right in my opinion.
“They turn up and just use whatever the theatre’s got available – set up a drum kit, put a backing track on and away they go. This is not what we do – we’re a massive production, but it’s very difficult when you’re not a so-called celebrity name.
“You get television chefs shifting 2,000 tickets just for people to watch them cook an omelette, and I’ve got 50 people on the road, including my crew.
“If it’s not on television or they’ve never heard of it, people presume it’s going to be rubbish and it’s a shame. If I was on telly every week we’d be sold out.”
Following on from the original Vampires Rock and its 2019 spin-off Ghost Train, Day Of The Dead’s “special guest” is Nathan James, leader of London heavy metal outfit Inglorious.
Ex-restaurateur Steve’s full of praise for his latest recruit, but he’s also at pains to point out that the show has no fewer than eight principal singers, with band members also taking the lead at times.
Returning characters familiar to fans of his earlier tongue-in-cheek capers include slayer Van Halen Helsing and Steve’s underworld ruler Baron Von Rockula, along with his “vampire girls”.
2,000 tickets sold for cruise
He says the production has elements of theatre while also being “a big bombastic concert”, as he puts it. “It’s all about the music,” adds Steinman.
“We’ve got big LED screens, a massive lighting set-up – it doesn’t get any bigger than this. I don’t care what the act is – it could be Rod Stewart, Elton John or Tom Jones – this show stands next to everything, it’s huge.”
Alongside the vintage favourites, fans can also look forward to hearing a few nuggets from Steve’s 2021 debut solo album Take A Leap Of Faith and its follow-up Heaven’s Gate, which is released on Wednesday.
Ever busy, he’s also been planning a British Isles cruise next September which will see him perform with Lorraine Crosby, who sang on Meat Loaf’s chart-topper I’d Do Anything for Love (But I Won’t Do That), to a shipful of fans. “I’ve booked the cruise – it’s mine and I’ve sold the cabins,” he explains.
“Lorraine is my special guest and I’m doing four days out of Southampton and up to Dublin and back. It’s just full of Steve Steinman fans and I’ve already sold 2,000 tickets – a thousand cabins – with 12 months still to go.
“It’s the fastest-selling rock’n’roll cruise MSC Cruises have ever had and we’re already planning another one. Hopefully, if my new album does well, I should also be able to tour in my own right.”
‘I love going to Scotland’
In the meantime, however, the singer has one eye firmly on his Scottish shows in Edinburgh, Glasgow and Aberdeen – he most recently played the Granite City last November with his Meat Loaf tribute Anything For Love – next week.
“I’m looking at my family history and we hail from Scotland originally – my surname by birth is Murray,” he reveals.
“It’s funny, because my wife’s family are all from the Hebrides and we’re planning a big motorcycle trip there next year. I love going to Scotland and nearly all my videos have been done there because they’re such a great audience – Inverness is another great place.
“So I’m looking forward to going back. It’s like a second home to me up in Scotland.”
Vampires Rock – Day of the Dead is at P&J Live on Monday, October 30, for more information go to www.pandjlive.com. Tickets are available at ticketmaster.co.uk
