Mr. Big's Paul Gilbert and Billy Sheehan Team Up for Monster Performance in 2009

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For today's Friday Flashback, we revisit June 20, 2009, when Mr. Big performed at the world-famous Budokan in Tokyo, Japan.

During the second half of the band's set, which is available as an impressive CD/DVD called Back to Budokan, bassist Billy Sheehan and guitarist Paul Gilbert took the stage for a truly phenomenal solo; well, a truly phenomenal duet, to be more exact. The duet is listed as "Paul Gilbert and Billy Sheehan Duo" on the DVD.

Both Sheehan and Gilbert are playing double-necked instruments—Sheehan with his Yamaha and Gilbert with his Ibanez—although they basically stick to their respective lower necks for the entire solo. Sorry—duet.

At the 3:27 point, the rest of Mr. Big—singer/bassist Eric Martin and drummer/bassist Pat Torpey—come out and fret some of the notes on Sheehan's bass and Gilbert's guitar. By the way, if you like solos, this is the DVD for you. It also includes lengthy tracks called "Pat Torpey Drum Solo," "Billy Sheehan Bass Solo" and "Paul Gilbert Guitar Solo," the last of which we've included below (bottom video). Enjoy!

Damian Fanelli
Damian Fanelli
Editor-in-Chief, Guitar World

Damian is Editor-in-Chief of Guitar World magazine. In past lives, he was GW’s managing editor and online managing editor. He's written liner notes for major-label releases, including Stevie Ray Vaughan's 'The Complete Epic Recordings Collection' (Sony Legacy) and has interviewed everyone from Yngwie Malmsteen to Kevin Bacon (with a few memorable Eric Clapton chats thrown into the mix). Damian, a former member of Brooklyn's The Gas House Gorillas, was the sole guitarist in Mister Neutron, a trio that toured the U.S. and released three albums. He now plays in two NYC-area bands.