I first saw ZZ Top in 1973 in Omaha, pre-beards, at the old Civic Auditorium. This was so long ago that the opening act was Aerosmith, followed by Sugarloaf. ZZ Top was touring after that release of Tres Hombres, one of the great albums of the 1970s. I saw ZZ Top, also at the Civic, post beards, in 1980 or 81 and they had the longhorn onstage with a rattlesnake, in a cage thank gawd. They are what they are. Just a rock band.
Night Ranger opened to a tepid response. They have a lot of songs I didn't realize were theirs because I absolutely despise hair metal. Jack Blades seems like a decent enough guy, but man he's just not my cup of tea.
ZZ Top took the stage to a much better response. Under Pressure opened the show and had such a lousy sound mix I was worried the rest of the show would be just as bad. But like pros that have pros running the show it got fixed quickly. Billy Gibbons is joined onstage by former guitar tech Elwood Francis who got the job after the death of Dusty Hill probably because he's a brilliant bassist and he already has the beard. John Douglas played drums in place of Frank Beard who has had health problems.
The band is just straight ahead rock n roll. All the hits are there, no here's something off our latest album stuff, from Gimme All your Lovin, which the crowd recognized easily from the drum opening volley to the encore of La Grange. Theres not a song you wont recognize if you're a fan or have just been alive for the last 51 years. Remember those 80's videos where they stood aside for a bigger story? Well now its just play the damn song, whether it be Sharp Dressed Man or Legs.
And it still glorious.
1 comment:
Thank god somebody who has been endowed by the rock god is still touring, even if it takes a couple of bench players to fill the roster. Like other old men, there's no new music that I find interesting, including whatever that lady who is or isn't married to a couple of professional football players is yodeling. Yeah, Dylan's still heading for another joint after selling his catalog for a billion bucks, but why bother. I caught him live in about 1970, when he was still able to captivate an audience at a state fair outside amidst the odor of cow dung. Dylan's old guitar player, David Bromberg still has a band, but he's mostly retired, mostly on the wrong coast for me the two or three times a year he gets the band together.
So rock on, ZZ, in wheelchairs if necessary. I'll stick around as long as I know you're out there somewhere with those obscure time signatures, making people boogie.
jtb
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