It’s been 25 years since Mr. Big topped the charts with “To Be With You.” It was a time that inspired a new song, “1992,” on the band’s new album, “Defying Gravity,” on which the band waxes nostalgic and expresses gratitude.
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“It was kind of an amazing time,” guitarist Paul Gilbert said. “Certainly for any musician to have a No. 1 single is really a rare event. There’s the mega artists that have more than one of them, but for most musicians, it’s really a once-in-a-lifetime thing, if that. It was really an amazing time in all of our lives.”
Songs from the new album along with favorite hits including “To Be With You” and “Just Take My Heart” can be heard when Mr. Big performs at 8 p.m. June 2 at The Arcada Theatre in St. Charles.
Slated for a July 7 release, “Defying Gravity” is the band’s ninth studio album and was recorded over six days.
In the old days, Gilbert said he would spend months making demos and get attached to them. But with this album, there wasn’t time.
“Sometimes that’s fun to do, you sit at home and you make this really beautiful demo of the song to present to the band. We didn’t have time to do that. When I would bring in a song or Eric (Martin) would bring in a song,… it would just be us sort of almost like busking it. Tapping our foot, playing our guitar and humming through the verse, presenting it to the band,” Gilbert said.
Also playing with the band on “Defying Gravity” is Matt Starr, who filled in for drummer Pat Torpey when he was unable to perform due to a recent diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease.
“Pat felt it would be good to have Matt, our touring drummer, come up and do the recording session. In a way Pat was drum producer and drum composer,” Gilbert said. “He was in the studio every second of the session, and him and Matt worked together fantastic as a team.”
The result is a sound like Torpey playing drums, played by Starr, he said. Starr has been touring with the band for the last couple of tours. Depending on how he feels, Torpey will play drums for a few songs each show.
“He tours with us, he sings,” Gilbert said. “And he’ll come up behind the kit for two or three songs.”
When Mr. Big first formed in 1988, it seemed like many were expecting an almost instrumental band given the background of all the musicians, Gilbert said. But the singing is just as important and fun.
“That’s one of the most enjoyable parts for me as a band member of Mr. Big, is when we do a song that on the outside that may seem like a simple tune — ‘To Be With You’ — I still love that song because it’s such a joyful experience to sing along with people and sing in harmony,” he said.
Keeping the band going over the years is the support of the fans — both in the U.S. and abroad.
“I always feel very thankful that we can play all over the world,” Gilbert said. “We played in places where long hair is against the law, and we had to tie our hair back in ponytails back in the day.
“Now we have short hair, but this was in the ’90s when we had big hair. We were able to play in front of people that are smiling and just really unite. That’s not the case with every job in the world.”
Kathy Cichon is a freelance writer for The Beacon-News.
Mr. Big
When: June 2
Where: The Arcada Theatre, 105 E. Main St., St. Charles
Tickets: $39-$89
Information: 630-962-7000 or www.arcadalive.com More Top Picks Best Reading Glasses For Women