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They played at Shepherd's Bush, a medium-size venue, and it was their only UK show.
Fantastic musicianship, good songwriting and vocals, endearingly goofy stage presence and too much self-indulgence...
I had great expectations for Mr. Big's reunion gig, as one of the post-hair metal acts which really delivered the goods for me in the early '90s.
Overall it was a good show, with some excellent moments and a band at the top of their game musically.
The band was tight, Eric Martin can still reach most of the high notes, even the vocal harmonies were quite good, although not Eagles-perfect, and Billy and Paul are simply the best you can find in terms of shred-ability and flashy technique.
I think actually this was the sour point of the show, simply too many solo spots, semi-improvised jams etc., and it all gave me the impression that technique not always (actually, make that almost never) equals musical taste.
I mean, both Paul and Billy's recorded solos and those quirly fill-ins they always throw are cool and fit the song, but their improvised live solos and interplay reminded me more of a guitar shop saturday afternoon showdown than a high profile rock gig!
OK, one might argue that Paul Gilbert is the ultimate guitar geek, but Mr. Big have produced a considerable and generally high quality body of work, so why not throwing in more songs or even covers, rather than all these extended solos?
I am pretty convinced the audience felt the same as well, as everyone except for the geekiest YouTube addicts trying to spot Mr. Gilbert and Sheehan's occasional mistake were in lethargic mode for most of the show (not to mention that Paul DID make a big booboo during his - I guess - 53rd solo spot, when he misstepped on the Boss loop pedal...).
Sound wise, the gig started a bit muddy, but then they fixed the sound, except for Billy Sheehan's bass tone: I mean, come on! He is arguably the finest, most spectacular and most technically gifted rock bass player in the world, he's played with everyone, and the guy can't concoct a decent bass tone?!?!
His bass rig looks like the USS Enterprise's control deck, yet is tone is so horribly muddy, indistinct, distorted and blurry, that it makes Lemmy sound like Stanley Clarke in comparison!
In terms of audio sucide, it reaches the stratospheric levels of Lars Ulrich's snare in St. Anger...
Finally, to end on a good note, the songs are still great, and Mr. Big played all the big hits in the correct key, they played them well, and it looks like they're having fun doing this.
Fantastic musicianship, good songwriting and vocals, endearingly goofy stage presence and too much self-indulgence...
I had great expectations for Mr. Big's reunion gig, as one of the post-hair metal acts which really delivered the goods for me in the early '90s.
Overall it was a good show, with some excellent moments and a band at the top of their game musically.
The band was tight, Eric Martin can still reach most of the high notes, even the vocal harmonies were quite good, although not Eagles-perfect, and Billy and Paul are simply the best you can find in terms of shred-ability and flashy technique.
I think actually this was the sour point of the show, simply too many solo spots, semi-improvised jams etc., and it all gave me the impression that technique not always (actually, make that almost never) equals musical taste.
I mean, both Paul and Billy's recorded solos and those quirly fill-ins they always throw are cool and fit the song, but their improvised live solos and interplay reminded me more of a guitar shop saturday afternoon showdown than a high profile rock gig!
OK, one might argue that Paul Gilbert is the ultimate guitar geek, but Mr. Big have produced a considerable and generally high quality body of work, so why not throwing in more songs or even covers, rather than all these extended solos?
I am pretty convinced the audience felt the same as well, as everyone except for the geekiest YouTube addicts trying to spot Mr. Gilbert and Sheehan's occasional mistake were in lethargic mode for most of the show (not to mention that Paul DID make a big booboo during his - I guess - 53rd solo spot, when he misstepped on the Boss loop pedal...).
Sound wise, the gig started a bit muddy, but then they fixed the sound, except for Billy Sheehan's bass tone: I mean, come on! He is arguably the finest, most spectacular and most technically gifted rock bass player in the world, he's played with everyone, and the guy can't concoct a decent bass tone?!?!
His bass rig looks like the USS Enterprise's control deck, yet is tone is so horribly muddy, indistinct, distorted and blurry, that it makes Lemmy sound like Stanley Clarke in comparison!
In terms of audio sucide, it reaches the stratospheric levels of Lars Ulrich's snare in St. Anger...
Finally, to end on a good note, the songs are still great, and Mr. Big played all the big hits in the correct key, they played them well, and it looks like they're having fun doing this.
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