Last chance for fans to see rock band Mr Big’s big finish in Singapore

SINGAPORE – American band Mr Big’s concerts at Marina Bay Sands Theatre on Aug 4 and 5 will be the last time the hard rock outfit will perform in Singapore.

The shows are part of a farewell tour for the group behind 1990s rock hits such as To Be With You (1991), and bassist Billy Sheehan, 70, says they intend to go out with a bang.

“A lot of times, people say it’s a farewell tour and then they come back again,” he says in a telephone interview. “But we want to let you know that this is a real farewell tour. We want to say thank you and goodbye, because we really do love the people who have been so kind to us.”

Mr Big, which also comprise singer Eric Martin, 62, and guitarist Paul Gilbert, 56, have not been the same since drummer, singer, and fellow founding member Pat Torpey died from complications due to Parkinson’s disease in 2018, says Sheehan. 

Torpey, who was 64 when he died, performed with the band at their last show in Singapore at the Kallang Theatre in 2017.

“He was a wonderful guy, my closest friend in the music business as well, and he was extremely important in the sound and style of Mr Big,” says Sheehan. 

“His personality was easy, friendly and open, and he would bring calmness in chaos. If there’s a problem anywhere, he’d be the guy to jump in and fix it. And on top of it was his wonderful drumming and timing. It was such a joy to play with him.” 

For the farewell tour, the band have roped in drummer Nick D’Virgilio, 54, an American musician who has played in several prominent bands, including veteran English acts Genesis and Tears For Fears.

Sheehan has a lot of praise for the replacement drummer’s playing style. “Pat Torpey had a special style and finesse, and Nick is able to duplicate that incredibly well, plus add his own, just brilliant styling.”

Their upcoming concert will include all the songs from their breakout release Lean Into It (1991), their sophomore album that contained the globally popular hit, To Be With You.

Sheehan has no problem with the fact that the love ballad is the only Mr Big song many recognise. 

“People would sometimes say, ‘Oh, you must be really sad. Your biggest hit was To Be With You’, and I feel it’s crazy. I’m so happy To Be With You was our passport to the world.”

He says they meet many people who know the song, but have no clue about the musicians behind it.

For instance, the band were on a plane and the flight attendants asked if they were in a band.

“They had not heard of Mr Big, then we would sing To Be With You, and they were so excited, they moved us on to the first class and gave us free drinks,” says Sheehan.

“One time on a flight into Malaysia, the pilot let us sit in the cockpit.”

More than just ballads, the band’s output incorporates different styles of rock music. All the members are also known for their virtuosity with their instruments.

“Mr Big broke down the wall between genres. We’d have a lot of guitar nuts, heavy metal kids, pop fans and many people just wanting to hear a good love song in which a gentleman sings to a girl and expresses his love to her,” says Sheehan, who also plays with other rock bands such as The Winery Dogs.

Mr Big, known also for their 1993 cover version of Cat Stevens’ Wild World, was formed in 1988 by Sheehan, Gilbert, Martin and Torpey.

From 1997 to 2002, Gilbert was replaced by another acclaimed guitarist, Richie Kotzen, after which the band broke up.

In 2009, the original members reunited. The line-up remained the same until 2014, when the band brought in a second drummer, Matt Starr, to back Torpey up in live and studio performances after he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s.

Their ninth and most recent album, Defying Gravity, was released in 2017.

Sheehan says that while they will not tour again after their global farewell shows, they may still get together to work on new songs.

“Sure, we may do a record, which is enjoyable. We don’t have to travel too much, which gets difficult. It’s tiring to travel for a 14- or 16-hour flight, get off, try to sleep with jet lag, and get up to do a show. It’s not easy at all.”

Still, he does not regret the years they spent playing concerts all over the world. 

“We began to play a lot in foreign countries outside the United States, and that was a wonderful experience. We understood so much more about the many different cultures and languages in so many places,” he says.

“I get e-mail from Afghanistan, Iraq, Madagascar, India, South America, Singapore, Thailand, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, the Philippines and South Korea. We made friends from around the world, and had incredible experiences and great memories. I wouldn’t change anything.”

Book it / Mr Big – The Big Finish World Tour

Where: Sands Theatre at Marina Bay Sands, 10 Bayfront Avenue
When: Aug 4 and 5, 8pm
Admission: From $88 to $218 via Sistic (go to

sistic.com.sg

or call 6348-5555)