Thu, Jun 6 • 7:00 pm
Electric City • 433 Pearl Street, Buffalo 14202
Mr. Big were one of the few “shredder” pop metal bands (translation: the bandmembers were highly proficient at their instruments) that prized songcraft as highly as virtuosity. The seeds for the group’s formation were sown when bass player extraordinaire , often called “the of bass,” left ‘s solo band in 1988.
Shortly thereafter, he began piecing together a new outfit comprised of former guitarist , drummer , and singer , the latter of whom had issued a pair of obscure solo releases in the mid-’80s. By 1989, the newly formed quartet had already inked a recording contract with , resulting in the release of a self-titled debut the same year. Despite finding a warm reception among musicians, the album failed to cross over to a mainstream rock audience in America; however, Mr. Big was an immediate success overseas in Japan.
In early 2009, with the 20th anniversary of Mr. Big’s debut on the horizon, the original lineup appeared on Japanese radio to announce that the group would be reuniting. A reunion tour was launched later that year, resulting in the release of 2009’s double-disc concert album Back to Budokan, and the band headed home in September 2010 to record a new studio album in Los Angeles.
The resulting What If was released three months later in Japan, followed by an American release in early 2011. The Pat Regan-produced …The Stories We Could Tell was released in 2014, and in 2017 Mr. Big issued Defying Gravity, their third release since reuniting in 2010 and ninth studio long-player overall. ~ Greg Prato, Rovi
