There’s nothing better than thinking you’re going to have a dull weekend and then finding out at the last minute that a gig has opened up. I’ve wanted to see Mr Big for years but hadn’t been able to catch them. So you can imagine my enthusiasm when this possibility arose just a few days before the performance.
After arriving at the venue right before doors, I assumed that acquiring my pass would be straightforward, but after just a 30-minute wait, I had gotten my pass and barely made it to the pit for the supporting act. Jared James Nichols came up first, an incredibly charming blues guitarist from Wisconsin, USA.
The lights dimmed, and the band took the stage to Hulk Hogan’s entrance song, which was appropriate given Jared’s height of 6ft 5′. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but wow, can Nichols play guitar! I had never seen or heard anything like that before, and I was blown away. The first track was “Easy Come, Easy Go”, an extremely catchy tune that had the audience screaming. It wasn’t long until I was singing along in the pit. “Down the Drain”, the following song, was much more melodic and evocative of Soundgarden, albeit a very bluesy Soundgarden.
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The third and final song I got to watch was “Hardwired”, a harder, more grungey piece with some melodic parts. Our three songs in the photo pit were up, and I was excited to watch the remainder of Nichols’ performance from the audience, as I typically do while reviewing, but we were ushered outside of the venue for the rest of his set, which disappointed me. Jared’s setlist from setlist.com included “Threw Me to the Wolves”, “Skin ‘n Bones”, and a cover of Mountain’s “Mississippi Queen”.
Outside, we were divided into two groups for songs one and two, or three and four of Mr. Big, with me in the second group. After the first group had gone to wait in the photo pit, we were permitted back into the corridor, where we ran into Jared James Nichols, who had a nice chat with us photographers. He appeared extremely interested in our feedback on his set, which was fantastic to witness.
It was now time for the remaining photographers to enter the pit for the third and fourth songs. The first song was “Price You Gotta Pay”, a band staple. They all played well and engaged with one another often. Michele Luppi was at the back of the stage, giving backing vocals for Eric Martin (as he did for David Coverdale) due to sickness. It was excellent that this wasn’t concealed and no backup track was used. It was also good to see Martin connect with Luppi by waving and laughing with each other.
The last track I watched was probably my favourite Mr. Big song, “Daddy, Brother, Lover, Little Boy”. It was fantastic to see at least one song I knew, and it was even better that it was the song with the electric drills, which was incredible to see up close. We were escorted back outside to leave despite the fact that I was reviewing, which disappointed me because I wanted to see their entire show.
However, this is not the end of the world because I will be seeing both artists perform Maid of Stone in July. So if you missed this date and can’t manage any of the others when Mr Big return later in the year, this is definitely an option!
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Photos by Kraken Media
