Billy Gibbons, Frank Beard and Dusty Hill have been ZZ Top for over 45 Years… Over 25 million albums sold, arguably one of the greatest rock bands of all time (top five?) and in 2016 – better than ever. ZZ Top along with tour openers Tim Montana & The Shrednecks hit the Enmax Centre, Lethbridge, Alberta March 31, 2016. Here’s my review:
The last time I saw ZZ Top live was when they played an outdoor music festival in Camrose, AB. They closed the weekend (which consisted of other bands like Evanescence, Seether and Finger Eleven) and not once, not until ZZ Top hit the stage – did chicks get topless in that crowd. They still got it. Billy Gibbons is iconic, one of the most underrated and brilliant guitarists on the planet. It was nice to see ZZ Top cover Jimi Hendrix’ ‘Foxy Lady’ during the show because Gibbons’ deserves to be considered alongside the likes of someone like that who still has that title of ‘the greatest’. Like a fine wine, with a long flowing beard that still looks damn good all these years later, Gibbons’ is still one of the baddest and coolest frontmen ever.
“We love coming over the border… Because in Canada, you can do anything you want… Well almost anything,” joked the sunglassed and laid back Gibbons on the stage. The band played through a breakneck selection of their finest hits and I was also happy to hear ‘I Gotsta Get Paid” off their latest record ‘La Futura’ (2012). They broke out the white fluffy guitars for ‘Legs’ and they encored with what seemed like a 10-plus minute rendition of my favorite ZZ Top song ‘La Grange’ before ending the night with ‘Tush’. Dusty Hill’s bass was thick as hell, and Beard’s drums were HEAVY – whoever did the sound mix was on point because the bass and drums were booming in the Enmax Centre – hard. I don’t think Hill gets enough props, because whenever he takes over the vocals, the songs definitely accelerate for a nice change of pace. I also found myself digging the slower blues jams on the night more too — ZZ Top may be Southern Rock gods but whenever they play the blues they take it to another level.
The crowd was packed to the walls and they seemed most excited about ‘Sharp Dressed Man’, which makes sense – that is ‘their hit’ after all. I’m not a fan of seats on the floor, but that’s unavoidable and nobody is going to mosh during a ZZ Top concert anyway, but I always find that seats get in the way of drunk chicks and guys who like dance around like goofballs for added entertainment. Luckily, the seats didn’t subtract all that much from the show in the end. ZZ Top haven’t changed their style since I saw them over 10 years ago, but they have gotten better and I find that insane. Try to say something negative about that band – it’s impossible. Almost five decades later, ZZ Top are still on top of their game and cooler than ever. If you haven’t seen them live, do yourself a favour and get to it.
I wasn’t all that familiar with opening band Tim Montana and The Shrednecks, but after their performance at the Enmax Centre, they made me a fan in a big way. I’m not much of a country music guy. but I love Southern Rock and Tim Montana and The Shrednecks are one of the best biker bar jukebox sons of bitches that I’ve heard in quite some time. Eric Church may be the king of outlaw country right now, but watch out for The Shrednecks – because they’re taking it to a new level.
‘Rust and Red’ is quickly becoming a favorite of mine and I loved the surprise Eminem cover of ‘Lose Yourself’ too, to which Montana joked, “I just wrote that song in the dressing room”. Their closer ‘Weed and Whiskey’ is a heavy and catchy as hell southern blast and kick to the ass. I can’t wait to see these guys again if they ever come through town.
ZZ Top Setlist
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Beer Drinkers & Hell Raisers
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Got Me Under Pressure
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Waitin’ for the Bus / Jesus Just Left Chicago
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Gimme All Your Lovin’
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Pincushion
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I’m Bad, I’m Nationwide
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I Gotsta Get Paid
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Flyin’ High
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Foxy Lady
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Catfish Blues
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Cheap Sunglasses
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My Head’s in Mississippi
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Chartreuse
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Sharp Dressed Man
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Legs
Encore:
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La Grange
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Tush