Artists: Mr. Big
Venue: Liverpool, Academy
Date: 27th July 2024
"It is sad to think there will be no more Mr Big (the recent ‘Ten’ album is also scheduled to be their last), but they have been away before and returned. At least I can say I was there for “The Big Finish”, and even bought the T-shirt. Fantastic."
Despite being a huge Mr Big fan, coming into 2024 I had never seen the band play live. With the announcement that the current “Big Finish” tour would the last, I decided I had to take in at least one show. On the strength of this I purchased a ticket for the Ritz show in Manchester, back in March. Unfortunately, things didn’t go well. Train disruptions caused many headaches, but the actual show wasn’t the event I was looking forward to. Lead-singer Eric Martin was struggling badly with vocal issues, and this had (in my opinion) a major influence on the quality of the band’s set, despite the rest of the band being at the top of their respective games. Subsequently an extra singer was brought in to help Martin get through a four-day run, before they were due a rest. Fast forward four months and the opportunity was there to see Mr Big again. I was determined I was not going to miss it, especially as it included the chance to review.
The Academy venue in Liverpool has never been a favourite, with sound quality always being something of a lottery. Fortunately, that was not to be a problem on a warm July night. If the show was not a sell-out, then it was pretty close, with everyone packed tightly into the room. The first three songs from the photo pit went by in a blur and any issues that Eric Martin had with his voice back in March were not in evidence, even though it was clear that he had now tailored his delivery somewhat, to allow him to get through a full two-hour set. Starting with ‘Addicted To That Rush’, ‘Take Cover’ and ‘Price You Gotta Pay’, there was no let up, and then it was then time for me to move back and join the masses.
The 1991 album, ‘Lean Into It’, was performed in full (and in the same running order), so in many respects it was one classic song after another. It is impossible to pick out highlights as they came thick and fast. Billy Sheehan (bass) and Paul Gilbert (guitar) made playing look easy, despite the complex nature of some of the arrangements. Sheehan took to playing a double-neck bass for ‘CDFF-Lucky This Time’ and ‘Voodoo Kiss’ and made handling such a cumbersome instrument so simple. The big sing-a-long was obviously ‘To Be With You’ and then ‘Colorado Bulldog’ raised the temperature levels even further. We were also treated to a cover of Cat Stevens ‘Wild World’, Humble Pie’s ‘30 Days In The Hole’, Talas’ ‘Shy Boy’, The Who’s ‘Baba O’Riley’ and everyone even swapped instruments during a cover of The Olympics’ ‘Good Lovin’, towards the end of the set.
The passing of drummer Pat Torpey, in 2018, means that drum duties have been handled on the bulk of the tour by Nick D’Virgilio. Commitments to Big Big Train allowed Edu Cominato (from Jeff Scott Soto’s band) a chance in the spotlight for this current run of European shows and he did not disappoint. If I am completely honest, I could have done without the self-indulgence of the guitar and bass solos, but that is a small quibble in the context of the whole performance.
It is sad to think there will be no more Mr Big (the recent ‘Ten’ album is also scheduled to be their last), but they have been away before and returned. At least I can say I was there for “The Big Finish”, and even bought the T-shirt. Fantastic.
Review & Photos: Dave Bott
Gallery. All photos © Dave Bott (used with kind permission)
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