Mr. Big never quite reached the level of stardom in America that they have in Japan and other countries. Their debut album and subsequent release, which featured the HUGE hit single "To Be With You", came at a time when the hard rock of the 80s was dying to the new grunge wave of the early 90s.
Mr. Big only had four dates in the U.S., New York was the 3rd stop. They do have an extremely loyal fan base and when we do have the opportunity to see a show here, we all come out for it.
B. B. King Blues Club was sold out, with fans coming from around the world. I met people from all across America, Germany, Japan, Mexico, and Puerto Rico.
Their drummer, Pat Torpey, was diagnosed with Parkinson's last year and has not been able to play the entire set list, so Matt Starr has been helping with the drum duties. We were all pleased that Pat is doing well and was able to play on quite a few songs. When he wasn't playing the full drum set, he had a smaller set right next to Matt's that he played while singing backup. Matt is a very capable fill in and I was very happily surprised and delighted by his addition to the band.
Mr. Big has never disappointed me in the past and this show was no exception. They came out rocking hard and fast and didn't stop until they were forced to leave the stage because there was another show after theirs. Umm, what the hell BB Kings?
The audience sang along, danced, and cheered to all the songs, every song is a favorite! Eric knows how to work the crowd, he is a magnetic front man, and didn't fail to make everyone feel like they were part of the Mr. Big family. You know he loves to be up there performing, it's evident in everything he does and every song he sings. He would give the same performance for 5 people or 5000. Time has only improved his vocals and he sounds better than ever.
Highlights for me were Billy and Paul's solos, both so technically masterful that you couldn't help but be breathless, The Monster in Me, and East/West. Both are songs off of their new album. Who am I kidding, the whole show was a highlight!