When Mr. Big first burst on the rock scene in 1988, the band was dubbed a supergroup by many despite the fact that the quartet was virtually unknown to mainstream rock fans. Serious musicians and rockers knew guitarist Paul Gilbert from Racer X, bassist Billy Sheehan from his time with Talas and as a sideman with David Lee Roth and vocalist Eric Martin from his first band and his solo records (drummer Pat Torpey was a session man when the band first got together). But aside from Sheehan and his two years with Roth, not one of the members had the sort of following the band would soon acquire.

The band’s self-titled debut didn’t explode in the States but set up a following in Japan that is still huge to this day. The band’s second record, Lean Into It, went platinum in the U.S. and Japan and would feature the band’s first number one single, “To Be With You,” which went on to top the charts in 15 countries in 1991. The band’s musical muscle and sterling live shows made them stars in Europe, Asia and Japan, and in the states the group could sell out theaters and did a couple of opening stints for Rush.

It never got much better here, however, and after a few more records (Ritchie Kotzen played on two when Gilbert split in 1999), the band broke up in 2002.

It took seven years of fan’s requests (and depleted bank accounts, one can assume), but in 2009, the band reformed and has recently put out its best record since that second album called What If. To support the disc, the band is doing a proper U.S. tour for the first time in ages, and it came to San Francisco, Martin’s adopted hometown, in August.

It’s great to see this band back on a live stage, because that’s where it all comes together for them. Studio albums have been hit and miss affairs, and sometimes the band’s sound on record was either under produced or overblown. But live, with Gilbert and Sheehan playing in tandem like a robotic duo with both hands tied together by some sort of weird computer program, Mr. Big can make a sound that virtually no other band on the planet can make-or tries to.

Gilbert’s clean, sharp leads, Sheehan’s fabulous, muscular runs and Martin’s glorious voice are easily the live highlights, and Torpey is no slouch on drums. But it would not matter without the songs, and Mr. Big has great songs in spades. The band wears its influences (Zeppelin, Free, Cream, Humble Pie, Journey, Foreigner) on its sleeve, and can mix the instrumental muscle and melodic sensibilities of those listed bands together into a tasty, melodic rock stew that both rocks and easily rolls the live crowd.

Whether blazing thru songs like the opening “Daddy Brother Lover Little Boy,” the always addicting “Addicted to That Rush” or “Colorado Bulldog,” one could easily call Mr. Big a metal band. Hits like “Green Tinted 60’s Mind,” “Just Take My Heart” and “Alive and Kicking” are still rock but display melodies that only a singer like Martin could tackle. I could live happy if I never heard “To Be With You” again, but it does serve its purpose as a campfire sing-a-long. And even the new stuff like “Undertow” and Around the World” were well received.

Mr. Big will always be big in Japan and could make a living over there without ever stepping foot on American soil ever again. But these four guys are American, from different parts of the country, and obviously want to leave some kind of mark on the rock music scene here. With their musical abilities and songs most bands would kill for, Mr. Big will always have a place-some place-here in the States for a smart, sensible rock crowd. And if not, another tour of Japan will always do the trick.

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