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Live Review
Mr. Big
The Big FINISH - Farewell Tour
Newcastle NX
American rockers are currently on their Big Farewell tour, saying a fond farewell to their loyal fans around the world. On Friday 19th of July, the rolled in to Newcastle upon Tyne to play to rock the north east one more time.
It was an early start with the support band, Welsh rockers, Scarlet Rebels taking to the stage at 7pm. The venue was already filling up nicely by the time the band took to the stage. I haven't seen them play before and I don't mind saying that I was blown away by the energy that the band performed with. Drummer, Gary Doyle, was hitting the skins like there was no tomorrow. The crowd loved what they were seeing and hearing and that was evident in the show of hands in the air and the mighty cheers they gave Scarlett Rebels.
The band are on their own headline tour later this year which kicks off in Newcastle at Anarchy Brewery and judging by the crowds reaction it will be a busy show.
It was an early start with the support band, Welsh rockers, Scarlet Rebels taking to the stage at 7pm. The venue was already filling up nicely by the time the band took to the stage. I haven't seen them play before and I don't mind saying that I was blown away by the energy that the band performed with. Drummer, Gary Doyle, was hitting the skins like there was no tomorrow. The crowd loved what they were seeing and hearing and that was evident in the show of hands in the air and the mighty cheers they gave Scarlett Rebels.
The band are on their own headline tour later this year which kicks off in Newcastle at Anarchy Brewery and judging by the crowds reaction it will be a busy show.
A swift set change and the glowing red letters of Mr. BIG adorned the back of the stage. The LA rockers may be on their final tour but they are definitely not slowing down. With a setlist that was packed with their classics, kicking off with 'Addicted To That Rush', the Newcastle crowd were there to have a good time and that is exactly what Mr. Big set out to give them.
The band were having fun from the start, with frontman Eric Martin giving the thumbs up to those in the front row, with a huge smile on his face that lit up the room. He is a performer who oozes charisma, his positive energy is infectious. Eric made sure that Pat Torpey was remembered early on in the show and the audience showed their love for Pat with huge applause.
Picking up the drills to play what is affectionately known as 'The Drill Song', bassist Billy Sheehan and guitarist Paul Gilbert put on a display of skill as they played their instruments using power tools, entertaining the crowd as always with their display of skill and creativity.
The band were having fun from the start, with frontman Eric Martin giving the thumbs up to those in the front row, with a huge smile on his face that lit up the room. He is a performer who oozes charisma, his positive energy is infectious. Eric made sure that Pat Torpey was remembered early on in the show and the audience showed their love for Pat with huge applause.
Picking up the drills to play what is affectionately known as 'The Drill Song', bassist Billy Sheehan and guitarist Paul Gilbert put on a display of skill as they played their instruments using power tools, entertaining the crowd as always with their display of skill and creativity.
The carefully curated set list featured a good mix of tracks from 'Alive and Kicking' and 'Voodoo Kiss' to 'My Kinda Woman' and 'Road To Ruin'. Of course there's that one track that everyone wanted to hear and luckily for them, Mr.Big did not disappoint. The sing a along hit 'To Be With You'.
The instantly recognisable first chord let the fans know it was time to get some serious crowd participation going and Newcastle read the memo and ran with it. Singing along to every word. You could tell that people were cherishing the moment. Mr Big's new drummer Nick D'Virgillo did a fantastic job and made sure that their wasn't a missed beat from start to finish.
Overall it was a night to remember, with memories that the fans will cherish. Whether it was the sound of Paul Gilbert's guitar work is still as impressive today as it always has been, with his signature style able to captive the crowd, Eric's energy and powerful vocals or Billy's stunning bass solo or a culmination of them all, the show was something very special indeed.
Eric took the time to say hi to the fans queuing outside of Newcastle's NX before the show. He stopped and chatted, signing autographs and taking selfies with unsuspecting fans. A genuinely nice person and the people who got to say hi were star struck for sure.
The instantly recognisable first chord let the fans know it was time to get some serious crowd participation going and Newcastle read the memo and ran with it. Singing along to every word. You could tell that people were cherishing the moment. Mr Big's new drummer Nick D'Virgillo did a fantastic job and made sure that their wasn't a missed beat from start to finish.
Overall it was a night to remember, with memories that the fans will cherish. Whether it was the sound of Paul Gilbert's guitar work is still as impressive today as it always has been, with his signature style able to captive the crowd, Eric's energy and powerful vocals or Billy's stunning bass solo or a culmination of them all, the show was something very special indeed.
Eric took the time to say hi to the fans queuing outside of Newcastle's NX before the show. He stopped and chatted, signing autographs and taking selfies with unsuspecting fans. A genuinely nice person and the people who got to say hi were star struck for sure.
