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Mr. Big Kicks Off Farewell Tour: Video and Set List

Mr. Big played the opening concert of The Big Finish farewell world tour  on Sunday at the Yongging Youth Sports Park in Yongqing, China.

The band’s first performance since 2018 was also their first without founding drummer Pat Torpey, who died of complications related to Parkinson's Disease that same year . Performing in his place was Nick D’Virgilio, who had previously performed with Genesis and Tears for Fears .

You can see the complete set list and several fan-shot videos from the show below.

Bassist Billy Sheehan, guitarist Paul Gilbert and singer Eric Martin have promised that their farewell tour will be a lengthy one, with dates set to stretch into 2024.

Watch Mr. Big Perform 'Daddy, Brother, Lover, Little Boy' in Yongqing

The Big Finish tour finds Mr. Big performing 1992's  Lean Into It  album in its entirety. The album tracks “CDFF-Lucky This Time” and "My Kinda Woman" were played live for the first time since 1992 at Sunday's show. Other highlights included a cover of Cat Stevens ’ “Wild World” and “Shy Boy” from bassist Billy Sheehan’s days with his early band Talas.

Mr. Big's Concert Encore

The concert included a special encore as the members traded roles, with Martin on bass, Gilbert on drums and D’Virgilio playing guitar while Sheehan handled lead vocals on a cover of the Rascals' “Good Lovin’.”

Watch Mr. Big Perform 'Addicted to That Rush' in Yongqing

Watch Mr. Big Perform 'Green-Tinted Sixties Mind' in Yongqing

Sheehan has hinted that Mr. Big may record some new music. “We talked about writing a couple of things and getting together,” he told Talkin’ Bout Rock , adding that the plans weren’t “set in stone yet.” He said the farewell tour was a good way to put “a period at the end of the sentence.”

Additional dates on Mr. Big's The Big Farewell tour are available on  their website .

Watch Mr. Big Perform 'Alive and Kickin'' in Yongqing

Mr. Big, Yongging Youth Sports Park, Yongging, China, 7/16/23 1. "Addicted to That Rush" 2. "Take Cover" 3. "Undertow" 4. "Daddy, Brother, Lover, Little Boy (The Electric Drill Song)" 5. "Alive and Kickin'" 6. "Green-Tinted Sixties Mind." 7. "CDFF-Lucky This Time" 8. "Voodoo Kiss" 9. "Never Say Never 10. "Just Take My Heart" 11. "My Kinda Woman" 12. "A Little Too Loose" 13. "Road to Ruin" 14. "To Be With You" 15. Guitar Solo 16. "Colorado Bulldog" 17. Bass Solo 18. "Shy Boy" 19. "Wild World" (Cat Stevens cover) 20. "30 Days in the Hole" ( Humble Pie cover) 21. "Good Lovin'" (The Rascals cover)

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Singer Eric Martin Confirms Mr. Big Reunion and 2023 Tour

"It's definitely gonna happen, there's no question about it"

Singer Eric Martin has confirmed that Mr. Big will reunite for a mid-2023 tour.

Martin discussed the tour plans in an interview with The Metal Voice . Fellow original members Paul Gilbert (guitar) and Billy Sheehan (bass) are on board, and an as-yet-unnamed drummer will take the place of the late Pat Torpey, who passed away in 2018 due to complications from Parkinson’s disease.

“I still can’t really say the drummer… Mr. Big it’s definitely gonna happen, there’s no question about it,” Martin said. “It’s gonna happen in the middle of 2023. There are going to be multiple dates. We are working on the US. Paul Gilbert is involved, the original guitar player… Billy Sheehan and the spirit of Pat Torpey.”

Martin was tight-lipped regarding the drummer, but revealed that the new band member won the gig after submitting a rehearsal video of the Lean Into It track “Lucky This Time.”

“He thought he would one-up the audition, so he played drums on it and he sang the lead and the harmonies on everything,” Martin said. “It was phenomenal. I don’t want to mention the guy’s name until the press release comes out. But the guy really stepped up and everybody knows him and then one really really cool thing is that he was a big fan of Pat Torpey. I think Pat, he’d approve of this new mystery man.”

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Mr. Big last toured in 2018 with journeyman drummer Matt Starr (whom Martin said will not be involved in the upcoming tour). The hard rock band is best known for its hit ballad “To Be With You,” which topped the charts in multiple countries. In the interview with The Metal Voice, Martin shared an answering machine message from Pat Torpey after the track made heavy rotation on MTV in the early ’90s.

Torpey’s transcribed message was as follows: “Eric Martin, it’s Pat Torpey, eh it’s 5 o’clock. I guess you are not there. I got a call last night. Congratulations Eric, I knew you had it in you. Dammit, heavy rotation MTV. Today we are going into heavy rotation, can you believe that? It’s amazing. I’m starting to get scared with all this good news.”

You can watch the full interview with Martin below, as well as the 4K remastered music video for “To Be With You.”

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Singer Eric Martin Confirms Mr. Big Reunion & US Tour in Mid 2023 w/ New Drummer

Reporting for Canada's T he Metal Voice on the East Coast Kenny Kessel spoke to Mr. Big Singer Eric Martin on Dec 15, 2022 at Daryl's house in New York.

Photo's by Kenny Kessel for The Metal Voice

In the chat Martin talks about Mr. Big's plans and also plays an answering machine message from late drummer Pat Torpey.

When asked about Mr. Big's plans

"I'm here to tell you, folks, I have been talking about it lately. I still can't really say the drummer. Mr. Big it's definitely gonna happen, there's no question about it. It's gonna happen in the middle of 2023 (summer). There are going to be multiple dates. We are working on the US. Paul Gilbert is involved, the original guitar player. Billy Sheehan (Bass) and the spirit Pat Torpey. There will be a phenomenal drummer, it won't be Matt Starr, Matt is doing his own thing. We have this new drummer, I will tell you that he (Drummer) sends an audition video and I watched it and (he played), 'Lucky this time' which is a song that we've hardly ever done because mainly because it was really hard (for me) to sing it. It's on the 'Lean into it' album. What he did was, he thought he would one up the audition, so he played drums on it and he sang the lead and the harmonies, on everything. It was phenomenal. I don't want to mention the guy's name until the press release comes out. But the guy really stepped up and everybody knows him and then one really really cool thing is that he was a big fan of Pat Torpey. I think Pat he'd approve of this new mystery man."

Eric Martin Plays Pat Torpey's Answering message when the band started taking off

"Eric Martin, it's Pat Torpey, eh it's 5 o'clock. I guess you are not there. I got a call last night. Congratulations Eric, I knew you had it in you. Dammit, heavy rotation MTV. Today we are going into heavy rotation, can you believe that? It's amazing I'm starting to get scared with all this good news."

The band was originally composed of Eric Martin (lead vocals), Paul Gilbert (guitar), Billy Sheehan (bass), and Pat Torpey (drums) R.I.P.

Their hits include "To Be with You" (a number-one single in 15 countries in 1992) and "Just Take My Heart".

Torpey died at age 64 on February 7, 2018, due to complications from Parkinson's disease

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Related tags, eric martin says mr. big are “definitely gonna tour” in 2023.

He’s not so sure on recording a new album, though.

Image: C. Brandon / Getty

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Eric Martin of rock band Mr. Big has confirmed that they will be touring in 2023, following a hiatus due to the passing of drummer Pat Torpey.

• READ MORE: Johnny Marr names John McLaughlin as “greatest guitar player of all time”

The band’s most recent album of new material was 2017’s Defying Gravity , Torpey passed in 2018 following complications with Parkinson’s Disease and the band put on a memorial concert in California later that year as they decided to step down from the stage.

Now, in a new interview with Border City Rock Talk  on YouTube, frontman Martin has confirmed the band will be reuniting for a tour: “Yes. I’m not a hundred percent on the recording part, but, yeah, we’re gonna do it. We’re definitely gonna tour,” he said.

He also addressed comments from bassist Billy Sheehan that Mr. Big has found a new touring drummer to replace Matt Starr, saying: “I can’t really talk about the drummer yet, but we have somebody we’re looking at.”

He added, “I don’t know when, but it will be in the middle sometime of 2023. It’s time to do it, and it might be even time to say goodbye as well.” He later continued, “It is time to do it, because there’s no better band that I’ve ever been in. I’ve played with a lot of great musicians – I mean, tons. I don’t even wanna name ‘em. Tons of really talented guitar players, bass players, drummers, keyboard players, singers, but playing with my boys – Billy Sheehan and Paul Gilbert – they’re the best of the best.”

Martin hinted at the band’s comeback earlier last month (November), he said in an interview : “I believe that there are big things coming. I keep saying that, and I want people to believe me that we’re not down for the count. It’s not over. I think we’ve got some things to do.”

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ERIC MARTIN Explains Why He Won't Tour With MR. BIG Anymore

In a new interview with Tulsa Music Stream, MR. BIG frontman Eric Martin addressed the announcement that that the group's ongoing "The BIG Finish" farewell will in fact mark the last time he and his bandmates hit the road together. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I'm sure everybody in...

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Mr. Big to Embark on 2023-2024 Farewell Tour, Reveal New Drummer

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The post Mr. Big to Embark on 2023-2024 Farewell Tour, Reveal New Drummer appeared first on Consequence .

Mr. Big have announced a farewell tour, taking place in 2023 and 2024. As of now the veteran rock band has unveiled dates for a run of Asia this summer, with US, European, and South American shows slated to be revealed for 2024.

The tour, dubbed “The Big Finish,” will find Mr. Big playing its 1991 album Lean Into It in its entirety. The LP yielded the band’s smash ballad “To Be With You,” which hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

In a press release, Mr. Big said that it’s the right to time to end their touring career following the passing of drummer Pat Torpey , who died in 2018 after a battle with Parkinson’s disease. The band also revealed that Nick D ’ Virgilio (Spock ’ s Beard, Big Big Train) will fill Torpey’s slot behind the drum kit.

“ We wanted to do a proper farewell, and this seems like the right way to do it,” stated bassist Billy Sheehan.

Guitarist Paul Gilbert added, “We ’ re in the process of making sure we come up with a suitably big entertainment extravaganza to go along with our music. And since our music has resonated so wonderfully in places all over the world, we ’ re going to play in as many of those places as we can.”

And lead singer Eric Martin concluded, “If we were in the movie business, we ’ d just put it all up in lights and say,  ‘ Welcome to The BIG Finish!’ Seriously, I ’ m glad we ’ re getting a chance to do it all onstage together as MR. BIG again and raise a flag to everything we ’ ve done as a band over the years.”

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Singer Eric Martin Confirms Mr. Big Reunion and 2023 Tour

As for welcoming D ’ Virgilio to the band, Sheehan noted, “We found a wonderful drummer in Nick, and he ’ s got a great voice too. Nick has a vocal range similar to Pat ’ s, and he ’ ll be able to do the parts Pat did with a similar finesse. It ’ s a big relief because Mr. Big has always been heavy on the harmonies. When the band began, we really relied on each other. We knew each guy would do exactly what he needed to do vocally and to do it righteously, on key, and in time. It ’ s difficult to find a drummer who sings in that range, but Nick has the voice we really need onstage.”

While the 2024 US, European and South American dates for the tour are yet to be announced, the 2023 Asia outing kicks off July 20th in Nagoya, Japan, and runs through an August 12th show in Jakarta, Indonesia. See those dates below, and find tickets here as they become available.

Mr. Big 2023 Tour Dates: 07/20 – Nagoya, JP @ Nagoya Shimin Kaikan 07/22 – Osaka, JP @ Osaka Maruzen Intec Arena 07/25 – Tokyo, JP @ Budokan 07/29 – Seoul, KR @ Yes24 Live Hall 07/31 – Hong Kong, CN @ Southorn Stadium 08/02 – New Taipei, TW @ Zepp New Taipei 08/04 – Singapore, SL @ Marina Bay Sands Theater 08/05 – Singapore, SL @ Marina Bay Sands Theater 08/07 – Bangkok, TH @ Show DC Hall 08/09 – Manila, PH @ Skydome 08/12 – Jakarta, ID @ The 90’s Festival

Mr. Big to Embark on 2023-2024 Farewell Tour, Reveal New Drummer Spencer Kaufman

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Eric martin: why i won't tour with mr. big anymore.

In a new interview with  Tulsa Music Stream ,  MR. BIG  frontman  Eric Martin  addressed the announcement that that the group’s ongoing  “The BIG Finish”  farewell will in fact mark the last time he and his bandmates hit the road together. He said: “I’m sure everybody in the band has different reasons for calling it quits. Obviously, the big reason in the beginning was because of (late  MR. BIG  drummer)  Pat Torpey . And then it was just kind of, it ran its course. And we didn’t tour that much when we got back together in 2009. We made a record and toured a little bit, and then another year would go by, and then we do another one, and maybe two years would go by.

“When we got back together in 2009, we decided that we were gonna make everything painless and not freak out and have to do exactly what the record company wanted and have to tour, have to make a record,”  Eric  explained. “But now we  have  been touring for all this time, and it’s a lot of fun. It’s a lot of fun and it’s rewarding. I don’t know if it’s a novelty or not, but all the shows have been sold out. We’ve traveled.

“ Billy  ( Sheehan ,  MR. BIG  bassist) always used to say this, and it’s kind of apropos, but we put a lot of stamps in the passport. This is actually my fourth passport with  MR. BIG . So we’ve done a lot of traveling, a lot of good stuff. But yeah, this tour, it couldn’t be any… This is the best way to go out, too — go out with a bang. Everybody loves each other. It’s a brofest. And everybody’s sounding good.”

Asked to elaborate on  MR. BIG ‘s reasons for calling it quits,  Eric  said: “I think  Pat Torpey , in the beginning, was our thing where we were, like, ‘Well, why should we just keep going on without  Pat ?’ But we have.

“I can’t tour like this anymore,”  Martin  explained. “It’s tough on me. God, man, I’m, like, ‘Boohoo.’ I know so many great lead singers, like  Jeff Scott Soto who’s diehard doing it, and he sings like a bird and he’s doing great. He loves being out on the road. So do I, but I don’t like the really long, long tours anymore. I don’t think I can handle it anymore… It is a little tough. I’m not 30, 40, 50… I feel like I’m pushing myself to the limit.”

MR. BIG will release its tenth studio album,  “Ten” , on July 12. The LP features 11 new original tracks written by  Martin and guitarist  Paul Gilbert , along with  André Pessis  and  Tony Fanucchi . In a tribute to  Pat Torpey ,  Martin ,  Gilbert  and bassist  Billy Sheehan  have enlisted the exceptional talents of  Nick D’Virgilio  on drums for  “Ten” , which was produced by Jay Ruston  and  MR. BIG .

MR. BIG recently completed the European leg of  “The BIG Finish” , which sees the veteran band performing  MR. BIG ‘s 1991 album,  “Lean Into It” , in full, along with other cuts from the group’s history. 

When  MR. BIG  announced  “The BIG Finish”  tour last year, the bandmembers said that it was “time to mark the end of this chapter of their legacy” after  Torpey  lost his battle with Parkinson’s disease in 2018. The first leg kicked off in Japan and Southeast Asia in July and August 2023, where the band performed for hundreds of thousands of loyal fans at 11 sold-out shows including Budokan in Tokyo, Japan.

As a session musician and touring artist,  Nick  has worked with many different kinds of artists and bands, from  TEARS FOR FEARS ,  Sheryl Crow  and  Kevin Gilbert  to  Peter Gabriel  and  Eric Burdon  and the  ANIMALS . In 1996,  Nick  took  Phil Collins ‘s place in  GENESIS  and played on their  “Calling All Stations”  album. He has also carved out a major presence in the progressive rock world with his bands,  SPOCK’S BEARD  and  BIG BIG TRAIN .

Before joining the Sweetwater  team,  Nick  spent almost five years touring with  Cirque Du Soleil ‘s  “Totem”  as drummer, vocalist, and assistant bandleader.

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Mr. Big’s Eric Martin Talks Of The Band’s Beginning, The Latest Album, And The Big Finish Download

Mr. Big is on their “Big Finish” tour and makes a stop in southeast Michigan at District 142 in Wyandotte on May 30th. 

Mr. Big From The Start

Eric told me the entire story of how the band started after his solo career had seemed to fizzle out in the late 80s. He spoke of meeting Billy Sheehan, a guy who he didn’t know about. It was interesting to hear how the pieces came together.

New Mr. Big Drops On July 12th

Eric had a lot to say about the upcoming album. Their 10th record Ten drops on July 12th. He told me how he and Paul recorded demos for all the songs. “We mapped it out perfectly,” he said. Eric talked of starting from scratch on this album and the reason for doing so.

Jay Ruston produced this album, as Eric explained to me why they went with the rock producer. “I liked what he did with the last Winery Dogs album…that record was slick”

I also grabbed a couple questions from some of his solo bandmates, PJ Farley and Jason Hartless. Those made for a few laughs.

Fun conversation with Eric for sure! I cannot wait to hear the full album. 

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MR. BIG Share Music Video For New Single 'Up On You' From Upcoming 'Ten' Album

MR. BIG will release its tenth studio album, "Ten" , on Friday, July 12 via Frontiers Music Srl . The LP features 11 new original tracks written by singer Eric Martin and guitarist Paul Gilbert , along with André Pessis and Tony Fanucchi . In a tribute to their late drummer Pat Torpey , Martin , Gilbert and bassist Billy Sheehan have enlisted the exceptional talents of Nick D'Virgilio on drums for "Ten" , which was produced by Jay Ruston and MR. BIG .

In the midst of their final tour — "The BIG Finish" — MR. BIG , inspired by the legions of fans that shared in their goodbye over the past year, wanted to say a final farewell with the undertaking of a brand-new studio album. Culminating over three decades of musical partnership, Martin , Gilbert and Sheehan , with the help of D'Virgilio , ignite their spark once more and take a new form with "Ten" . The music video for the LP's second single, "Up On You" , can be seen below.

About the new single, Eric had this to say: "Who says rock and roll has to be serious? Most of the videos that we've done over the years have had a bit of humor in it. In our live show, at the end of the set, we do this thing that we call 'The Switcheroo' where we change instruments. I'm on bass, Billy sings, Nick plays guitar and Paul rocks the drums… It's a lot of fun and the crowd goes wild. So the concept for the video was simple 'Do The Switcheroo and go bat shit crazy for a couple hours'."

Martin comments on "Ten" : "This new album doesn't copy anything from the nine previous studio records. It's all new stuff from scratch. This is raw, unadulterated riff rock and blues with all the MR. BIG trimmings."

"Ten" track listing:

01. Good Luck Trying 02. I Am You 03. Right Outta Here 04. Sunday Morning Kinda Girl 05. Who We Are 06. As Good As It Gets 07. What Were You Thinking 08. Courageous 09. Up On You 10. The Frame 11. See No Okapi (instrumental - Japan bonus track)

MR. BIG recently completed the European leg of "The BIG Finish" , which sees the veteran band performing MR. BIG 's 1991 album, "Lean Into It" , in full, along with other cuts from the group's history.

Regarding how the farewell tour has been going so far, Martin told Radioactive MikeZ , host of the 96.7 KCAL-FM program "Wired In The Empire" : "It's been a bro love fest… Everybody loves each other. We're going out on top.

"I don't wanna tour like we're touring now," he explained. "I'm okay with it 'cause I've had a couple of weeks break to just chill out, rest the larynx, have a couple of beers and just hang out with my family. And I'm raring to go. We're going to South America, doing the West Coast USA, and I'm looking forward to it. But, man, this is a long-ass tour. It started last year in Asia. Then I did some solo things where I went to Japan, and then I came home and sang the 10 songs or 11 songs that are on the new studio album. But I don't wanna tour like this."

"He added: "We're touring all the way up to August 23rd, I think. And then right after that, I got other projects, but no more MR. BIG . No more MR. BIG touring-wise."

Regarding the possibility of MR. BIG still making new music after the completion of the farewell tour, Eric said: "Everybody was saying, 'Hey, we could still continue to make records.' I'm, like, 'Yeah, that would be fun.' Well, the record was hard to put together because of everybody's scheduling, but it came together pretty quickly. The thing that took the longest was the album cover. Nobody could agree on it. It was ridiculous. I mean, our creative juices were poured out long time ago for any kind of artwork. And Paul Gilbert is kind of a cartoon artist, and I asked him, I go, 'Just draw pictures of us in cartoon form and we'll give it a name.' We couldn't even think of a name. Anyway, that took the longest. So hopefully we'll do another record, but I don't know. The album cover thing was painful."

When MR. BIG announced "The BIG Finish" tour last year, the bandmembers said that it was "time to mark the end of this chapter of their legacy" after Torpey lost his battle with Parkinson's disease in 2018. The first leg kicked off in Japan and Southeast Asia in July and August 2023, where the band performed for hundreds of thousands of loyal fans at 11 sold-out shows including Budokan in Tokyo, Japan.

D'Virgilio will miss most of the final European leg of the band's "The BIG Finish" tour due to his commitments with his band BIG BIG TRAIN . He will be temporarily replaced on the trek by Edu Cominato , an experienced drummer from São Paulo, Brazil who has previously played with Sheehan and Martin , Jeff Scott Soto and Geoff Tate ( QUEENSRŸCHE ),among others.

As a session musician and touring artist, Nick has worked with many different kinds of artists and bands, from TEARS FOR FEARS , Sheryl Crow and Kevin Gilbert to Peter Gabriel and Eric Burdon and the ANIMALS . In 1996, Nick took Phil Collins 's place in GENESIS and played on their "Calling All Stations" album. He has also carved out a major presence in the progressive rock world with his bands, SPOCK'S BEARD and BIG BIG TRAIN .

Before joining the Sweetwater team, Nick spent almost five years touring with Cirque Du Soleil 's "Totem" as drummer, vocalist, and assistant bandleader.

Photo credit: Joel Barrios / Photography That Rocks

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