Mr. Big / When It’s Your Last Tour You Have To Lean Into It

When Mr. Big announced the UK leg of their farewell tour, there was much moaning and groaning at the lack of a Scottish date in these parts. It was to great delight that one was finally added and that it was at Glasgow’s iconic Barrowlands venue. As Eric Martin announced from the stage later, it was the first time they have played this venue since 14 May 1992.

Mr. Big

Barrowland Ballroom, Glasgow – 25 July 2024

Words: Ian Sutherland

Photography: Gary Cooper

A barnstorming run through Addicted To That Rush shows the band are ready and mean business. They have been on the road for some time and Billy Sheehan and Paul Gilbert have obviously bonded with new drummer Edu Cominato who is standing in for Nick D’Virgilio, so the sound is tight and together from the off.

Tribute is, of course, paid to the late lamented Pat Torpey during the intro to Take Cover, and then a spirited Price You Gotta Pay completes the opening salvo of this two-hour set.

I thought the choice to play the whole of the Lean Into It album was an interesting one for this tour rather than just a greatest hits set. I have to say that, for me, it worked as a treat.

I had maybe forgotten how strong an album that was, and the songs held up and made a track-by-track run through a real thrill. From a blistering opener of Daddy Brother Lover Little Boy with the inevitable drills to the acoustic sing along of To Be With You, it was quality tune after quality tune.

Green Tinted Sixties Mind, which I have always thought would have been another top 40 UK hit if released straight after TBWY, is as memorable and eloquent as ever, while Alive And Kickin’ grooves hard and highlights those superb old-school harmonies.

CDFF-Lucky This Time reminds us what a great writer Jeff Paris can be, and Little Too Loose is some of the best swampy blues rock you will ever hear. 

All this is performed with real panache, swagger and humour, most of that coming from their veteran frontman. Martin’s 35-plus years on the world’s stages have taken some toll on his voice, and this is not the full-throated rasp and roar we have been used to.

But he does not let anything get in the way of performing to the best of his ability and revels in the crowd roaring along with him at many points during the show.

The post Lean Into It fun includes a shimmering Wild World, the lively bark of Colorado Bullfrog and inevitable solo spots for Sheehan and Gilbert.

The real instrumental showing off, though, was the switcheroo of Good Lovin’ featuring Sheehan on vocals, Cominato on guitar, Gilbert on some highly competent drums and Martin on bass, the latter commenting on the mic, “This is so easy” to wind up his virtuoso band mate.

This was a set of traditions, so included in among all the closing shenanigans were a blistering Shy Boy from Sheehan’s Talas days, Humble Pie’s 30 Days In The Hole and The Who’s Baba O’Riley, live standards all for this band and welcomed once again with open arms by a delighted faithful.

This was pretty much the same set that the band had been playing throughout this farewell tour, but it all sounded fresh as a daisy to everyone in the hall.

A tremendous gig and a fitting last one in Scotland. They leaned into it all the way.

The post Mr. Big / When It’s Your Last Tour You Have To Lean Into It first appeared on MetalTalk - Heavy Metal News, Reviews and Interviews.