Double CD set (also available on DVD) of the reunited early 90s hard rock supergroup returning to Japan. In addition to the June ’09 concert, there’s one newly recorded song (‘Next Time Around’), a cover of ‘Hold Your Head Up (Argent, also part of the live show) and an acoustic version of their biggest hit, ‘To Be With You’.

Actually, there’s more than just Big songs within the 32 tracks, that number includes band introductions, covers from The Who (‘Baba O’Riley’), Deep Purple (non-Eric Martin rendition of ‘Smoke On The Water’, with small lyrical mistakes), Cat Stevens (‘Wild World’) and ‘Shy Boy’, the Talas tune co-opted during Sheehan’s tenure with David Lee Roth, as plenty of solos (Torpey’s drums, along with his rendition of The Beatles’ ‘Long & Winding Road’, Sheehan’s bass, Gilbert’s guitar, even a Gilbert & Sheehan duo, up #2 on the second disc).

Mr. Big comes storming out with ‘Daddy, Brother, Lover, Little Boy’, but by ‘Take Cover’ there’s already audience participation and ‘Green-Tinted Sixties Mind’ is a ballad-in-disguise. Saw them only once, so can’t really tell, but seems to be more backing vocals (nearly all hands on deck) and lots of Gilbert (too much? Japanese not only love guitar heroes, but virtually single-handedly kept Mr. Big and Paul Gilbert afloat into the new millennium. Hell, their initial live disc, "Raw Like Sushi", was issued just a year after the eponymous debut. Recorded where?), to say nothing of the aforementioned plethora of solos.

Sadly, many of these songs sound like dated stadium anthems, showing just how desperately starved rock fans were in the grunge era. The bluesy swagger of ‘Temperamental’ is timeless, even if Eric Martin veers into Steven Tyler (Aerosmith) territory. ‘Rock N Roll Over’ is one of the few upbeat moments on the second platter, but pales next to ‘Addicted To That Rush’, dovetailed by Sheehan’s 6:06 solo spotlight. The heretofore-unknown ‘Colorado Bulldog’ also smokes.

Too much sleep inducing excess to be considered a LIVE show.