Jared James Nichols will join Mr. Big on The Big Finish Tour, with four UK dates set for March 2024. JJN has released his cover of Man In The Box by Alice in Chains.Â
“Man in the Box is one of my favourite songs ever,” Jared says. “I remember this being one of the first songs I really connected to as a child. Between the bluesy vocals and slinky guitar riff, all the way down to the sludgy overtones, it’s timeless and pure perfection. I started jamming this one at my shows because it is so much fun to play. The audience response was instant.
“Man In The Box was originally recorded just for fun at Sweetwater Studios. It turned out so well. We knew we had to share it with the world.”
This year saw Mr. Big embark on The Big Finish tour, with Nick D’Virgilio taking the role of Pat Torpey, who lost his battle with Parkinson’s disease in 2018. The tour resumes in January 2024 in Houston, with the European leg starting in Germany in March.
“We want to do Pat Torpey’s memory proud and do it well,” Billy Sheehan told MetalTalk’s Robert Adams in a March interview. Robert saw Mr. Big at The Barrowland Ballroom in Glasgow in 1992. To Be With You was the huge hit they had at that time, and a lot of the sold-out crowd was there to hear that. Mr. Big opened the show with Daddy, Brother, Lover, Little Boy (The Drill Song) and around a quarter of the crowd was shocked at how heavy they were.
“To Be With You hit 100 million views on YouTube recently,” Billy said, “which we’re incredibly proud of. We did write some full-on rockers in Mr. Big, but we also mixed it up with softer songs. I remember we were out supporting Rush on tour, and their audience was predominately male.”
“Geddy Lee said to me after a few shows, ‘It’s great to see some women in the crowd’. We can hold our own in the rocking stakes, but we always have that major sense of melody, which was helped by all of us being able to sing as well.”
“We formed in 1989,” Paul Gilbert told MetalTalk’s Mark Rotherham. “That’s a long time ago, and I think we all sort of came to the idea together. I think it just felt right. To me, the way I think about it is I think we have enough energy and ability to really do it right one last time. And I love the idea of doing the whole Lean Into It record, which is going to be challenging, but I think we can do it.
“I love the drummer. We got Nick D’Virgilio, and I think he’s the perfect choice. I was able to jam with him at Sweetwater about a year ago, and it just reminded me of the groove that Pat Torpey gave to the band. Plus, he’s a lead singer, which was something that Pat Torpey brought to the band as well. So, to me, everything is coming together in the right way for it.”
Tickets are available from here.
The Big Finish USA
Fri 1/12 – Houston, TX – Rise Rooftop
Sat 1/13 – Dallas, TX – The Factory In Deep Ellum
Wed 1/17 – Key West, FL – Rokisland Fest
Sat 1/20 – Orlando, FL – The Plaza Live
Sun 1/21 – Clearwater, FL – Capitol Theatre
Tue 1/23 – Atlanta, GA – Variety Playhouse
Wed 1/24 – Nashville, TN – Ryman Auditorium
Fri 1/26 – Cincinnati, OH – Ludlow Garage
Sun 1/28 – Warrendale, PA – Jergel’S Rhythm Grille
Tue 1/30 – Portland, ME – Aura
Wed 1/31 – Patchogue, NY – Patchogue Theater
Fri 2/2 – Sayreville, NJ – Starland Ballroom
Sat 2/3 – Ridgefield, CT – Ridgefield Playhouse
Tue 2/6 – New York, NY – Sony Hall
Wed 2/7 – Derry, NH – Tupelo Music Hall
Fri 2/9 – Glenside, PA – Keswick Theatre
Wed 2/14 – Wabash, IN – Honeywell Center
Fri 2/16 – Des Plains, IL – Des Plains Theatre
Sat 2/17 – Green Bay, WI – Epic Event Center
Tue 2/20 – Detroit, MI – Royal Oak Theatre
Wed 2/21 – Minneapolis, MN – Fitzgerald Theater
Fri 2/23 – Wichita, KS – The Cotillion
Sat 2/24 – Oklahoma City, OK – Diamond Ballroom
The Big Finish – Europe
Sun 3/17 – Koln, Germany – Carlswerk Victoria
Tue 3/19 – Nottingham, U.K. – Rock City
Wed 3/20 – Manchester, U.K. – The Ritz
Fri 3/22 – Wolverhampton, U.K. – KK’s Steelmill
Sat 3/23 – London, U.K. – 02 Shepherd’s Bush Empire
Mon 3/25 – Brussels, Belgium – AB
Tue 3/26 – Paris, France – Bataclan
Thu 3/28 – Madrid, Spain – La Riviera
Sat 3/30 – Barcelona, Spain – Razz
Mon 4/1 – Zurich, Switzerland – Komplex
Wed 4/3 – Milan, Italy – Live Club
Thu 4/4 – Ljubljana, Slovenia – Kino Siska
Sat 4/6 – Bratislava, Slovakia – MMC
Sun 4/7 – Budapest, Hungary – Barba Negra
Tue 4/9 – Kosice, Slovakia – Kulturpark
Thu 4/11 – Warsaw, Poland – Progresja
Fri 4/12 – Berlin, Germany – Metropol
Sun 4/14 – Maastricht, Netherlands – Muziekgieterij
Mon 4/15 – Esch-sur-alzette Luxembourg Rockhal
