Billy Sheehan Live

[Memphis Soul]

Have you ever seen this guy play live? When I was a teenager I saw him with David Lee Roth. It was an amazing show. He is so good. To see him play with Steve Vai was awesome. Something I will never forget. I didn’t care much for the songs. I was mainly there to see Cinderella whom I loved but to see those two play together was fantastic.

 

[cxcxcx]

He’s a legend. Great player, very nice guy. I’ve seen him perform dozens of times since the early 80’s when he was just ”Billy in Talas”. I don’t play sound or play much like him, but you have to respect his command over the instrument and what he’s done with his career.

 

[Geepers]

No, I haven’t but I can well imagine it’s an experience … a genuine virtuoso

 

[NotColinGrigson]

Several times.
Sons of Apollo, winery dogs, dlr, vai
Always great stage prescence and astounding playing.
Lovely chap too. Humble and personable.

 

[Snibborwocky]

Super nice guy as well. He usually posts Facebook and interacts with fans questions and comments all the time. His stories of his career and the music business in general are fascinating and endless. I could sit and listen to him for hours honestly.

 

[Smooth_bass88]

Have you ever seen this guy play live? When I was a teenager I saw him with David Lee Roth. It was an amazing show. He is so good. To see him play with Steve Vai was awesome. Something I will never forget. I didn’t care much for the songs. I was mainly there to see Cinderella whom I loved but to see those two play together was fantastic.

many many times with Mr Big. Saw him last year as a matter of fact. In the 90s as a young and excitable teenager, I saw Mr Big and we snuck backstage after the show and hung out with the entire band. They were super nice and Bill was very friendly to me. His work on Eat 'em and Smile is untouchable. I really wish they would do a reunion tour of the 1986 band.

 

[Single Coil]

I saw him in Talas in 1980 opening for Van Halen on the Women and Children First tour. It was like nothing I had seen before. We were stage right in the nosebleed seats. I was watching these two guitarists trading solos and kept thinking, “Where’s the bass player?” I had never heard of Talas before that night.

 

[happygilmour]

Yup, Talas in Buffalo well before their Van Halen gigs, DLR and he came to a local music store as a rep for Yamaha. He played and met with everyone after. Super nice guy. We used to say he was the EVH of bass back in the Talas days.

 

[ga_edwards]

I went down a whole Sheehan rabbit hole years ago. Attitude bass, Signature drive pedal and 2 channels. I learnt a hell of a lot about sound design for bass doing that. I also realised I didn't need a 2 channel setup like that for a cover band, so these days I'm more restrained.

I still have a semblance of dual channel processing within my main helix presets, but that's for clean and wet, rather than gritty highs and lows. But I'm more conscious of my mid-range and frequency slotting since going through this Sheehan phase.

Actually. One of the reasons I bougth the Helix was so I could create a better 2 channel Attitude bass patch with Billy's Pearce preamp model, and instantly switch to a traditional single band signal chain. Funnily, I've never gotten around to it in the 5 or 6 years that I've owned it.

 

[groooooove]

i never have, but always wanted to.

i've been a big fan of his for years. my first intro to him was his playing on the concert dvd steve vai did in 2001.

i've owned several iterations of his signature bass, still have one now. his playing and sound are so effective and very unique.

by all accounts he's a great guy, as well.

 

[2thAche]

I saw him in Talas in 1980 opening for Van Halen on the Women and Children First tour. It was like nothing I had seen before. We were stage right in the nosebleed seats. I was watching these two guitarists trading solos and kept thinking, “Where’s the bass player?” I had never heard of Talas before that night

I first heard Talas on an orchestra trip from an upright bass player in the 80s. Mind blown. Back then he didn't share alot of his technique but now he's very open about it. He's very entertaining live no matter the setting.

 

[GrapeBass]

Seems like a really nice guy and a very apt player with a unique style. Not a fan though.

 

[Bighands Bill]

I can brag and say I saw the first Talas performance at Kenmore East High School in the suburbs of Buffalo! When they played the Yardbirds' Train keep a Rollin' , Billy played triplets up the neck for the chromatic run. He was throwing his bass in the air and rubbing the strings on the mike stand like Hendrix. I was sophomore and Billy was a Senior. When I was 18 and old enough to get into bars, we would go see them all the time.

 

[jimmydean]

I have seen many great players and Billy is the only one that floored me , he was with Talas the first time I saw him . I didn't touch my bass for three days after I saw/heard him play . Have a mutual friend and everyone says he's a nice guy because.......he is a nice guy .

 

[Brandon Shea]

I saw him live with Steve Vai once. Truly incredible show, every single musician looked like they were having a great time, and they all made it look effortless. Billy's YouTube channel has some cool stuff on it as well, and he seems like a genuinely awesome dude.

 

[Cleezmo]

I finally got to see him last February on Mr. Big's 'Big Finish' tour. As expected, his playing was fantastic. He and Paul Gilbert were super tight and it was a really fun show. Every interview I've seen or read, he seems like a pretty genuine, humble guy. What a talent...

 

[Smooth_bass88]

I saw him in Talas in 1980 opening for Van Halen on the Women and Children First tour. It was like nothing I had seen before. We were stage right in the nosebleed seats. I was watching these two guitarists trading solos and kept thinking, “Where’s the bass player?” I had never heard of Talas before that night.

This is amazing. So cool. I’d love to see a bootleg video of Talas opening for Van Halen, not that something like that even exists.

 

[Hawk256]

I was lucky to see Mr. Big 3 times. One them happened to be a pretty intimate venue and I was second row directly in from of him. I loved seeing him live but can't say I learned much by looking. His fingers were just a blur on the fretboard. I didn't get to meet him but did shake his hand after the show. I have another good friend that was lucky enough to hang out with him on their Atlanta stop a few years later. Nothing but compliments about him from everyone that meets him, it seems.

 

[Water buffalo]

I got to see him with Mr. Big in the late 80's, some small club in Oklahoma City. I'm thinking it wasn't a bar, due to the fact there was a few guys, with far more teenage girls... The entire band was on fire. Great show.

 

[Lync]

He's a legend. I echo everything positive already said but just to add that if you have the chance, you should make a point to see him ASAP.