MR.BIG
01.10.2009, Universiada hall, Sofia - Bulgaria

words by Nasso Ruskov, photo by Danny Boy.

The special radio Tangra Mega Rock night at the Arena Muzika 2009 festival!

2009 has so far been a remarkable year for rock music. Up to this point we have seen the release of a number of exceptional albums and been witness to remarkable reunions (Faith No More immediately spring to mind) and unlikely, amazing comebacks (Alice In Chains). And last night, Bulgaria got its first taste of the Mr. Big live experience. Of course we have the fanatically devoted Japanese and Asian fans to thank for the current Mr.Big tour, as it was their massive show of love that brought the band back to life in its original form. It’s no wonder that, during last night’s excellent show, lead singer Eric Martin quipped: “Thank you, it may sound clichéd, but the reason we’re here is because of all of you!”
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Nowadays us Bulgarians can hardly complain about a lack of concerts in our homeland. We can no longer moan that “no one ever fucking comes here”. Because they Do come, all of them. Whether it be Dimmu Borgir, or Madonna. If truth be told though, save for Motley Crue, no other American “hair metal” band from the mid/late 80s/early 90s had yet ventured to these parts. Until last night of course.

Obviously Mr. Big are seen as a somewhat more “serious” group of musicians and most of their fans would probably be offended by the term “hair band”, but let’s not forget that their first two albums came out at the peak and tail-end of that era, they all had long hair and used make-up (albeit not to the extent that, say, Poison or Pretty Boy Floyd did) and their big breakthrough came via a ballad, as was the norm for all bands associated with that particular genre. And last, but not least, they, too, were swept away by the gloomy waves of grunge coming from Seattle and forced to seek refuge in the Japanese and Asian markets.

But back to last night and the fantastic show at Sofia’s ‘Universiada Hall’. The venue was ¾ full and would probably have been sold out, had some people not opted to instead follow the sad fortunes of two major Bulgarian football teams in the Europa League. They should have spared themselves the misery and come to watch some guys who really are at the top of their game. 

Anyway, at exactly 8:15 p.m. the lights went down and the intro tape began, only to be blasted away half a minute later by opening number ‘Daddy, Brother, Lover, Little Boy’ complete with drill solo from Paul Gilbert. Cue bedlam inside the venue! From the moment that band got onstage till the very last chords of a memorable set, we were left absolutely breathless.

During the fantastic ‘Green Tinted Sixties Mind’ a guy next to me threw his spectacles in the air and shrieked like a teenage girl, which wasn’t great news to my  ears, I can tell you. It should be noted that as well as being true virtuosos on their respective instruments, Pat Torpey, Paul Gilbert and Billy Sheehan are one hell of a backing vocal ensemble. In the days when taped vocals are used by many a band for live shows (hello Motley Crue and Queensryche) it’s refreshing to actually see the real deal performed with amazing perfection.

Eric Martin himself has always been one of the best hard rock voices of his (and any) era. He isn’t much for crowd banter, but boy can he belt out them tunes!  Standing between the rather tall Gilbert and Sheehan, he looks much shorter than he actually is. Having said that he’s nowhere near Kylie Minogue midget territory.

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MR.BIG played all the stuff that was expected of them, plus a few covers like Argent’s ‘Hold Your Head Up’ and a medley which included parts of Deep Purple’s ‘Space Trackin’ and AC/DC’s ‘Highway To Hell’. Of course, they knew damn well that a large portion of their fans were expecting some individual showmanship and we were treated to solos from all members of the band, including a double Gilbert/Sheehan blast of guitar pyrotechnics. The crowd lapped it all up, screaming their heads off and the couple in front of me seemed to have rediscovered that loving feeling during the inevitable encore of ‘To Be With You’.

The band, it seemed, were quite touched by the warm reception they got from the Bulgarian crowd, so instead of going off as planned, they treated us to another encore. After that it was lights up and happy memories. Sometimes size really does matter!
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GALLERY