Mr Big larger than life as they rock London - Exclusive LickLibrary interview now on-line!

Mon, 21 Sep 2009

It is no small secret that Eric Martin, Billy Sheehan, Pat Torpey and shred-legend Paul Gilbert (a.k.a Mr Big) are back in town. After announcing their reunion in February (2009,) and subsequently touring Japan, Mr Big were destined for live dates throughout Europe, in order to celebrate the 20th anniversary of their debut release in style.

Marking two decades since Mr Big’s self-titled debut album is no small occasion, and Paul Gilbert, Billy Sheehan and co. certainly know how to commemorate such a red-letter date.  Although Mr Big did not gain notoriety throughout Europe until the release of their second studio album “Lean Into It” in 1991, the respect and admiration that such a line-up commands has seldom gone unobserved. And this was certainly the case on Saturday night!

Speaking to LickLibrary before the show, Sheehan revealed that it was only after an impromptu jam session following Gilbert’s incredible solo-work on Sheehan’s “Dynamic Exhilirator,” that talk of a reunion began. "We sat down to dinner to actually talk about it for real. The real motivation was, we enjoy this. And nobody dangled cash in front of us" Sheehan goes on to tell LickLibrary's own Stuart Bull how the Mr Big rule is not to do anything that isn't enjoyable, or cool, and explains the fortunate accident of marking the groups 20 years, saying "By chance it just happened to be our 20th anniversary. That was just coincidental."

Paul Gilbert is also back in Mr Big for what you would call the right reasons. "I missed the music, I missed the people” he goes on to tell LickLibrary: “I think there had been a fair amount of time in between when I stopped playing with the band and the reunion. So in that time I played a lot of music, I learned a lot about the guitar, and I y’know, I thought I want a second chance to play the songs right!”

Kicking off the set with the classic, “Daddy, Brother, Lover, Little Boy,” Gilbert, Sheehan, Torpey and Martin treated concert-goers to a tremendous two hours of classic rock. Laced with solos throughout, the show demonstrated to fans the sheer musicianship that has made Mr Big such a cult phenomenon in the West, and such a mainstream one in the East. 

The guitar solo, followed by a bass solo, and then a drum solo, led up to a fabulous joint guitar / bass solo, with Sheehan and Gilbert showing the crowd exactly why they decided to get back together. There were even snippets of AC/DC and The Allman Brothers during one of the spots!

Soon after the Gilbert/Sheehan coupling on "Dynamic Exhilirator" Mr Big were back in business, with a greatest hits release, featuring two new songs, and a World tour to boot. One of these songs was featured on the night, and “Hold Your Head Up” was met with great appreciation.

The question remains are Mr Big planning another record, and if so, what would it sound like? “We never plan things” Billy Sheehan explains when talking about writing new material, and allays any concerns that Mr Big’s original eclectic sound may have been lost somewhere along the way. “We all have a new voice, without negating the old one – Theres just more there” Although Gilbert indicated that there is nothing more than the current tour on his mind at the moment, Sheehan continues to describe what the hypothetical new Mr Big record would sound like. “I think it would be a finely tuned, but very widely diverse – stylistically – record.” I'm sure most would be eager to hear it!

Mr Big will continue touring throughout Europe before hitting Asia, and returning to their home-from-home in the Far-East at the end of October. We can only speculate as to whether or not we will be treated a lot more of the Mr Big comeback, so that a new generation can have the opportunity to be inspired, by musicianship at its best.

EXCLUSIVE: Watch the full interview with Paul Gilbert and Billy Sheehan!

Related Material

Ultimate Guitar Techniques - Shredding With Arpeggios
Ultimate Guitar Techniques - How to Play Fast
Quick Licks for Guitar - Neo-Classical Shred in the style of Yngwie Malmsteen
Metal Edge - Metal Soloing Techniques