Rock band Mr. Big is coming back in 2023 with their remaining original lineup. According to vocalist Eric Martin in an interview with The Metal Voice, Mr. Big will hit the stage for the first time since their final show at Bloodstock Open Air 2018. Martin confirms original guitarist Paul Gilbert and bassist Billy Sheehan will be there, though drummer Matt Starr will not be a part of things despite the rumors.
Original Mr. Big drummer Pat Torpey died in February 2018 from complications of Parkinson's disease at 64 years old. Torpey was filled in for by Starr from 2014 onward due to his worsening health.
"I'm here to tell you, folks, I have been talking about it lately," said Martin. "I still can't really say the drummer. Mr. Big – it's definitely gonna happen, there's no question about it. It's gonna happen in the middle of 2023. There are going to be multiple dates. We are working on [dates for the United States]. Paul Gilbert is involved, the original guitar player [and so will] Billy Sheehan and the spirit Pat Torpey.
"There will be a phenomenal drummer, [but] it won't be Matt Starr. Matt is doing his own thing. We have this new drummer. I will tell you that he sent an audition video and I watched it and [he played], 'Lucky This Time' which is a song that we've hardly ever done because mainly because it was really har to sing it. It's on the Lean Into It album [from 1991]. What he did was, he thought he would one up the audition, so he played drums on it and he sang the lead and the harmonies, on everything. It was phenomenal.
"I don't want to mention the guy's name until the press release comes out. But the guy really stepped up and everybody knows him and then one really really cool thing is that he was a big fan of Pat Torpey. I think Pat, he'd approve of this new mystery man."
