The Big Finish is coming to the US starting in January

Earlier this summer, Mr. Big featuring frontman Eric Martin, guitarist Paul Gilbert, bassist Billy Sheehan, and drummer Nick D’Virgilio put on their signature top hats and old shoes for the launch of their last worldwide tour, aptly titled The Big Finish. Since the band’s original drummer and co-founder, Pat Torpey, lost his battle with Parkinson’s disease in 2018, the band now feels it’s time to mark the end of this chapter of their legacy.

The first leg kicked off in Japan and Southeast Asia in July and August, where the band performed for hundreds of thousands of loyal fans at 11 sold out shows including Budokan in Tokyo, Japan. Now, Mr. Big is ready to bring the trek to South America, Europe, and the U.S. The first batch of shows throughout the States will start January 12, 2024, in Houston, TX at the Rise Rooftop. More U.S. dates will be announced soon.

One particular aspect of this upcoming final run is that the group is excited about is the decision to perform the entirety of their breakthrough Platinum-selling 1991 album Lean Into It from start to finish as a featured highlight of the live setlist. To be sure, the full setlist will encompass Mr. Big’s entire career. Fact is, Lean Into It is the perfect litmus testament to the band’s inherent dexterity at blending a variety of styles together, whether it’s the heady rocking brew of “Green-Tinted Sixties Mind,” the power-drilled and power-chorded identity checklist “Daddy, Brother, Lover, Little Boy,” or the truly heartfelt sentiments found within “To Be With You,” the group’s chart-topping, worldwide No. 1 smash hit single.

“I love playing the entire Lean Into It record,” Gilbert says. “We’ve never done that until now, and the songs flow together really well. It’s a first-class seat in the time-travel-machine back to 1992! I was amazed that during my guitar solo, the whole audience started singing along with me! That was the first time that has ever happened! That’s what a live show is about!”

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

“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,” adds Martin.

Joining Mr. Big on drums for this special final world tour will be a longtime friend of the band Nick D’Virgilio (Spock’s Beard, Big Big Train), stepping in for founding drummer/vocalist Pat Torpey, who sadly passed away in 2018 following his heroic battle with Parkinson’s disease. “We found a wonderful drummer in Nick, and he’s got a great voice too,” confirms Sheehan. “Nick has a vocal range similar to Pat’s, and he’ll be able to do the parts Pat did with 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.”

After 35 years of being addicted to that perpetually electrifying performance rush, the band feels it’s finally time to collectively hang up their top hats and shoes after coming together for one final, extended curtain call — a curtain call that will take them on an all-out world tour commencing in 2023 that will go for as long as, well, as long as Mr. Big fans demand it.

Mr. Big The Big Finish 2024 US Tour Dates:

Jan 12 – Houston, TX @ Rise Rooftop
Jan 13 – Dallas, TX @ The Factory In Deep Ellum
Jan 17 – Key West, FL @ Rokisland Fest
Jan 20 – Orlando, FL @ The Plaza Live
Jan 21 – Clearwater, FL @ Capitol Theatre
Jan 23 – Atlanta, GA @ Variety Playhouse
Jan 24 – Nashville, TN @ Ryman Auditorium
Jan 26 – Cincinnati, OH @ Ludlow Garage
Jan 28 – Warrendale, PA @ Jergel’S Rhythm Grille
Jan 30 – Portland, ME @ Aura
Jan 31 – Patchogue, NY @ Patchogue Theater
Feb 2 – Sayreville, NJ @ Starland Ballroom
Feb 3 – Ridgefield, CT @ Ridgefield Playhouse
Feb 6 – New York, NY @ Sony Hall
Feb 7 – Derry, NH @ Tupelo Music Hall
Feb 9 – Glenside, PA @ Keswick Theatre
Feb 14 – Wabash, IN @ Honeywell Center
Feb 16 – Des Plains, IL @ Des Plains Theatre
Feb 17 – Green Bay, WI @ Epic Event Center
Feb 20 – Detroit, MI @ Royal Oak Theatre
Feb 21 – Minneapolis, MN @ Fitzgerald Theater
Feb 23 – Wichita, KS @ The Cotillion
Feb 24 – Oklahoma City, OK @ Diamond Ballroom
Mar 17 – Koln, Germany @ Carlswerk Victoria
Mar 19 – Nottingham, U.K. @ Rock City
Mar 20 – Manchester, U.K. @ The Ritz
Mar 22 – Wolverhampton, U.K. @ KK’s Steelmill
Mar 23 – London, U.K. @ 02 Shepherd’s Bush Empire
Mar 25 – Brussels, Belgium @ AB
Mar 26 – Paris, France @ Bataclan
Mar 28 – Madrid, Spain @ La Riviera
Mar 30 – Barcelona, Spain @ Razz
Apr 1 – Zurich, Switzerland @ Komplex
Apr 3 – Milan, Italy @ Live Club
Apr 4 – Ljubljana, Slovenia @ Kino Siska
Apr 6 – Bratislava, Slovakia @ MMC
Apr 7 – Budapest, Hungary @ Barba Negra
Apr 9 – Kosice, Slovakia @ Kulturpark
Apr 11 – Warsaw, Poland @ Progresja
Apr 12 – Berlin, Germany @ Metropol
Apr 14 – Maastricht, Netherlands @ Muziekgieterij
Apr 15 – Esch-sur-alzette, Luxembourg @ Rockhal