MR. BIG Makes Mind-Blowing Return To US Soil

By Aniruddh "Andrew" Bansal

My rating:

April 2nd 2011, House Of Blues, Hollywood CA: I was fortunate enough to see Paul Gilbert's solo show as he performed alongside Billy Sheehan and Pat Torpey in a rare encore jam on February the 28th, 2009. This was just when the Mr. Big reunion was about to be officially announced, months before they played their first reunion show in Japan. But tonight was the first time in 15 long years that the original Mr. Big line-up played a show in America, and again I felt like I was one of the lucky few to be in attendance, for it turned out to be a truly magical night.

The first glimpse of the stage itself was awe-inspriting as the huge Mr. Big logo engulfed the entire area behind Pat Torpey's drum kit, forming a perfectly imposing backdrop. The band members appeared one by one, and deafening cheers from the sold out House Of Blues went up each time. They wasted no time as they went old school to start out the show with "Daddy, Brother, Lover, Little Boy" from their 1991 album "Lean Into It", an album that would feature again during the night.

"Take Cover" was next, a song that was enjoyed by everyone in the audience as they got more and more into it, but things were just beginning to warm up. Back they went to their second album to dust out "Alive And Kickin". This contained the first instance of Paul Gilbert and Billy Sheehan's insane guitar-bass duels. The next song drew one of the loudest cheers of the night, as it came from the band's self-titled debut, the song "Merciless". Another delightful classic in the form of "Green-Tinted Sixties Mind" followed, and after that came a memorable moment as Paul presented his rendition of Frank Sinatra's "Fly Me To The Moon" while the band got ready for the next phase of the show. I've been a fan of Paul's throwbacks to the 60s, specially music by The Doors and Sinatra as in this instance, and the fact that he devotes a portion of his live performance to them further raises the level of respect I already have for him otherwise.

Mr. Big were here tonight not only to try making up for the lost time by playing the classics, but also to present material from their 2011 release "What If...". The first of these tonight was "Undertow", one of the most feel-good rock songs I've heard in a long time. They absolutely nailed it in terms of the accuracy of the live rendition, and it sounded as good, if not better than the studio version. Although the song maintained the essence of Mr. Big, it sounded fresh and was a welcome departure from the set thus far. They went back to the old catalog to bring out "Just Take My Heart", after which we were treated to a Gilbert-Sheehan duel as the other two members let them take center stage to wow each and every member of the crowd.

A cover of Cat Stevens' "Wild World" came next, following which they played another new song "Around The World". Despite the plethora of amazing classics played tonight, this tune was one of the highlights for me and I enjoyed every second of it. Billy Sheehan's breathtaking bass licks certainly had a lot to do with that. The other new song, the ballad "Stranger In My Life" was beautifully done by Eric Martin as he put a nice touch to it by dedicating it to the troops. They closed out the main set with two more songs, "Price You Gotta Pay" and "Addicted To That Rush", the latter getting a great crowd response as frontman Eric Martin put on a commanding performance, managing to get everyone involved in singing the chorus.

They had to do an encore, and it was none other than their most popular song "To Be With You". There were lighters galore in the audience as the loudest chorus of the night rang through the House Of Blues. With this they thanked the crowd and left the stage once again. I knew that this wasn't it, but obviously a couple other people in the crowd didn't seem to concur. I don't get why people are so adamant on "beating the traffic" that they don't even stay to watch the whole show. Well, I'm sure they must have been satisfied at succeeding to beat the traffic and missing three Mr. Big tunes played for the first time in 15 years. Hollywood crowds always have a few annoying elements, like the sets of people who keep having conversations with each other during the show, feeling it utmost important to share their opinions about what's happening on the stage rather than actually watching it. Anyhow, I digress.

Mr. Big weren't done thrilling this crowd as they returned with two cover tunes "Teenage Wasteland/Baba O'Riley" and "30 Days In The Hole". I love how they play these covers, turning some of the younger folks in the crowd, including yours truly, onto some legendary classic rock. They came back out for one final encore, with the ever-awesome "Shy Boy". The band absolutely blew me away with their performance tonight, and it was more than a pleasure for me to get to see my favorite guitarist and bassist perform on the same stage for two hours, taking center stage and trading off solos numerous times. They are not only amazing at playing their instruments, but are also masters at expressing themselves on stage, and one only wonders why they are so underrated as musicians on their respective instruments. With that said, Eric Martin was great on vocals, and so was Pat Torpey on drums. No one could have asked for a better return from them. Bands making a return after such a long time are often written off by critics and detractors, but Mr. Big will definitely turn out to be a glorious exception, and I'm sure every member of the crowd present tonight will agree.

A terrific, memorable performance that signals the triumphant return of Mr. Big.

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