Mr. Big @ The Rose in Pasadena, CA 6/24/17

Mr. Big entered the stage promptly at 9:00 and started with pure rock and roll. "Daddy, Brother, Lover, Little Boy" (The Electric Drill Song) and the furious "American Beauty" set the tone for the evening.


The great thing with Mr. Big is the fact that all their musicians are the best of the best and they don't have any ego problems. They come to the stage with the mind set of making music and having fun together. Highly skilled musicians that play together as one unit - that's Mr. Big and it's highly entertaining.


There is so much ease in the way they play live. Of course they have their songs, but there is still so much room for improvisation in their live music that makes it so exciting to see their shows.


On drums in from the beginning was hard hitting LA based drummer Matt Starr (Ace Frehley/Burning Rain) who took the place behind the drum kit. Pat Torpey their powerhouse drummer has been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease joined the show and appeared to be enjoying it immensely. It also shows one thing that the band takes care of their band mates. Respect is the one word that comes to mind.


Eric Martin is still one of the most amazing vocalists of his generation and it shows on their dominant performance of the Cat Stevens classic “Wild World”.
Following a killer rendition of “Green-Tinted Sixties Mind”, they gave us a new tune, “Everybody Needs a Little Trouble” from the forthcoming “Defying Gravity” CD which is slated for release in July. “Price You Gotta Pay” from the 1993 release “Bump Ahead” was followed by a spectacular guitar solo from the amazing Paul Gilbert.

Billy Sheehan, for those who don’t know, is one of the most assertively innovative bassists on the planet. He has a lightning fast set of fingers and an unmistakable forceful tone. Needless to say, he is one of rock’s most important bassists ever. So, with all these accolades you can imagine that a solo from the man himself would be nothing short of spectacular. It leads into "Addicted to That Rush" which finished out the main set this evening. 


A four song encore then ensued and not only did we get their most recognizable hit “To Be With You” we were also treated with the just released single “1992”. They ended the night with their take on the classic Who song “Baba O’Riley”.


The Mr. Big Defying Gravity Tour picks back up in August with a two week stint in South America followed by some dates in Japan.

Mr. Big Setlist
Daddy, Brother, Lover, Little Boy (The Electric Drill Song)
American Beauty
Undertow
Alive and Kickin'
Temperamental
Just Take My Heart
Take Cover
Green-Tinted Sixties Mind
Everybody Needs a Little Trouble
Price You Gotta Pay
Guitar Solo
Take a Walk
Wild World
Rock and Roll Over
Around the World
Bass Solo
Addicted to That Rush


Encore
To Be With You
Colorado Bulldog
1992
Baba O'Riley


Official Mr. Big Website:
http://www.mrbigsite.com/




You can find my Photo Album from the show here:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/jschaef00/albums/72157683174503541


All Images © Joe Schaeffer Photography