Mr Big's Farewell Tour To Serve 'Proper Goodbye' To Fans After Pat Torpey's Death

Mr. Big's final tour has been a long time coming.

Titled The Big Finish, Mr. Big officially announced its highly-anticipated tour months after singer Eric Martin confirmed the progress of the tour. He will be joined by the two other original members, Billy Sheehan and Paul Gilbert, and the new drummer, Nick D'Virgilio.

The tour will start on July 20 in Nagoya, Japan, before the band visits other countries in Southeast Asia through August.

Before the finalization of the tour, Mr. Big said that the final show should be a "proper goodbye" to its fans following its original drummer Pat Torpey's death.

"We may go out and say a proper goodbye and hold ourselves to it. Mr. Big was the four of us, but Paul, Eric and I are closer now than we've ever been, having weathered the storm that happened with Pat," he told Music Radar after the drummer's death.

Aside from the tour, he expressed his desire to make one final album with Sheehan and Gilbert before ultimately splitting.

Mr. Big was formed in 1988 after Sheehan left David Lee Roth's backing band. After its debut, the band officially released more studio albums: "Lean into It," "Bump Ahead," "Hey Man," "Get Over It," "Actual Size," "What If..." "...The Stories We Could Tell," and "Defying Gravity."

Mr. Big has been on a hiatus since Torpey's death, and its reunion tour would also serve its last.

Mr. Big Drummer Pat Torpey's Death

The band's reunion and the final tour will take place years after its drummer died.

On Feb. 7, 2018, Mr. Big's founding member died following complications of Parkinson's disease. The band confirmed the saddening news on Twitter.

Torpey was diagnosed with Parkinson's in 2014. Despite the diagnosis, he continued playing with Mr. Big as its background vocalist. He also contributed to percussion.

Torpey said. "I intend to fight the disease with the same intensity and tenacity that I drum and live my life by and will continue recording and performing, as always, to the best of my ability."

According to the Parkinson's Foundation, the disease affects around 10 million people worldwide. It develops slowly over years and causes different symptoms in patients, including tremors, rigidity, slowness of movement, and instability.

People diagnosed with the condition can also experience non-motor symptoms like depression, sleep disorders, loss of sense of smell, hallucinations, and constipation.

As a soloist, Torpey notably performed several hit songs during his drum solo. One of his most famous covers included The Beatles' hit tracks.