Throughout their three decade long career, it seems like Japan embraced Mr. Big more than the United States ever did or could. Billy Sheehan and crew returned the love, releasing numerous live albums recorded in the Land of the Rising Sun.

So, it only seems fitting that The BIG Finish: Live - the farewell live album from Mr. Big - be recorded in Tokyo at the legendary Budokan. (Fun fact: This is not Mr. Big's actual final show; that occurred a year later in Romania.) And while this set does an admirable job of covering a good portion of Mr. Big's history, it does leave a few holes that leave one scratching their head.

The three core members - vocalist Eric Martin, guitarist Paul Gilbert and bassist Billy Sheehan - are all still here, the lineup cemented with the drum work of Nick D'Virgilio (replacing the late Pat Torpey). And, the songs you probably know by Mr. Big are all here - namely, "Addicted To That Rush," "To Be With You" and "Daddy, Lover, Brother, Little Boy" (as well as their cover of Humble Pie's "30 Days In The Hole"). In fact, the entirety of their 1991 album Lean Into It is presented to the Budokan crowd, all of whom are ready to devour it whole.

While performing albums in their entirety is nothing new for bands these days, doing so does limit what they can feature from other albums - even for a set that spans 26 tracks. Their 2017 disc Defying Gravity and 2014's ...The Stories We Could Tell are orphaned; one has to wonder why these albums aren't given similar attention as Bump Ahead or Hey Man. (It is, however, understandable why nothing from their newest release Ten made the cut, as it was released only a few months ago - after this show was recorded.)

Musically, it's a solid effort - but does seem to be lacking some spontaneity or energy. Perhaps this is captured in the video portion of the release (I'm working only with the advance CD). Maybe this is the weakness with a band who, admittedly, was more popular in Japan than in the United States; I'm willing to bet that, for most people in the States, they'd be surprised that Mr. Big had anything out there past Lean Into It - and, honestly, that's a shame.

The BIG Finish: Live is a nice way for Mr. Big to exit the scene, but it's not necessarily the most exciting live disc out there. Fans of the band, naturally, will want to add this to their collections. Is this truly the final chapter for this legendary band? Seeing they've said goodbye once before in 2002, only time will tell.

Rating: B-

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