Their hair may not be quite as luxurious, and the backstage after parties might be a touch more sober, but the men of Mr. Big still have a lot more classic metal mojo to share with the world.
"I still have my tight black jeans, and I can still squeeze my fat ass in them," said lead singer Eric Martin speaking to SoundDiego from an L.A. recording studio where the band was just finishing up a rehearsal with a new stage crew.
Martin & Co. will soon be caravanning down the I-5, bound for a show on Saturday at 4th & B.
Speaking of his shorn locks, Martin said, “I probably save a lot of money on Aquanet now. I loved having it -- you can flip it around or hide behind it if you get nervous onstage, but, man, I’m glad it’s short now.”
Mr. Big emerged in 1988 as a pop metal "shredder" band with record sales in the multi-millions. While signed with Atlantic Records, their 1991 hit "To Be With You" reached Billboard No. 1 in 15 countries, but nowhere did their fame explode quite like Japan.
After performing at what was supposed to be a one-time reunion show in 2009 at L.A.'s House of Blues, Billy Sheehan (bass), Pat Torpey (drums), Paul Gilbert (guitar) and Martin found they had so much fun they wanted to make a go of it all over again.
Upon returning to Japan, Mr. Big was met with the same mega-fame they experienced 20 years earlier.
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“They’ve kept the door open for us for a long time,” Martin said. “The people in Japan like music, and they put classic rock & roll right up at the top.”
The band’s fans in the Far East remained devoted through thick and thin, and when the massive 8.9 earthquake and tsunami brought unprecedented disaster to the country, Mr. Big was ready to return the favor.
“I wrote ‘The World Is On the Way,’ and I gave the rights and profits to the Japanese Red Cross," Martin said. "It’s raised about $100,000 now, and that’s nothing compared to what they need, but it was something.”
Heeding government warnings about radiation and aftershocks, many other bands cancelled tours in Japan, but Mr. Big forged on, playing soon afterward in the northern town of Morioka.
“It was a great packed show, but a lot of people came there who had lost family members, and their houses -- their whole life," Martin said. "But you gotta hand it to them -- they can and will bounce back and rebuild. I would drop anything and do anything for them.”
Now the band is stateside and looking forward to playing American stages after the long hiatus. However, Martin, who has been performing since he was 18, admitted 20-plus years have taken a toll.
“When you’re young, you feel like Mr. Elastic Man, and now my bones creak a little more than in back in the day," Martin said. "After a show I go backstage, and I’m in pain. It’s loud in the club, because you don’t wanna hear my bones creaking.”
While the ensuing decades may make for a slightly less agile Mr. Big show, Martin said that age has also helped to mellow out the once-tumultuous band dynamic.
“It was great to see everybody, and nobody talked about the drama or the soap opera of the past," Martin said. "After years go by, you kind of lose the taste for hate.”
Mr. Big perform on July 30 at 4th & B. Tickets are still available.
