Unforgettable Night at Barnato With Legendary Band Mr. Big On Their Farewell Tour

Mr. Big at Barnato in Omaha, Nebraska on Wednesday, May 22, 2024. (Photo by Peter Amisano)

REVIEW BY DAVID TAYLOR AND PHOTOS BY PETER AMISANO | Go Venue Magazine

When you think of Village Pointe in Omaha, you think of shopping. It would help if you thought again, as the Barnato, which is inside the Bently Omaha showroom, has become one of the places of interest to check out a music gig. That’s where Mr. Big played on Wednesday, May 22. It was a competitive night for concerts in the metro area.

Mr. Big came out with a bang with no opener and musicianship on their hands. It was incredible to see these guys live. They are more than the band with the hit single, “To Be With You”. They are a rip-rolling hard rock band with technical prowess. Guitarist Paul Gilbert is one of our great guitarists today and his performance was top-notch, evening bringing out an electric drill for a track. Bassist Billy Sheehan made sounds from a bass I never heard before. Lead singer Eric Martin was having fun with the crowd, even going out into the audience. I think they had a fun time in the more intimate setting of the venue rather than a theater. It felt like they were having a band practice in the garage with a couple of hundred people inside. They said this was their farewell tour, titled, the Big Finish Tour, which you always take with a little grain of salt. But, they played through their 1991, Lean Into It. They also played some covers including an instrument swap where Paul was on drums, Eric on bass, Billy on vocals, and drummer Nick D’Virgilio on guitar to play the Young Rascals’ “Good Lovin’”. They ended the set with a cover of “Baba O’Reilly” by The Who, with Paul playing all the opening synthesizer parts on guitar pretty incredibly. It was such a fun night seeing this band finally play live. I hope all the members of the band continue to play music in their different side projects.

All images © Peter Amisano


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