Have mercy! The Top are back in town and have brought along some friends to bring some rock ‘n’ roll to save our souls, the Rev Willy G leading the congregation in the hymns we all know and love. ZZ Top, the famed Little Ol’ Band from Texas, may have changed a little due to the passing of bass player Dusty Hill three years ago, but their reliability as a band is something as permanent as the four faces carved into Mount Rushmore.
ZZ Top
OVO Arena Wembley – 11 July 2024
Words: Paul Monkhouse
Photography: Robert Sutton
Whilst the famed ‘taking Texas to the people’ stage set is a long distant memory, the stage here practically bare, barring two stacks of amps and Frank Beard’s whisky barrel drum kit, this band have been more about the music than anything.
Certainly, flashes of the trio’s humour remain. The ridiculously outsized bright yellow bass guitar hefted onto the stage by Elwood Francis, and the fur-covered guitars nod to visual japery. But eschewing even a backdrop, the focus is on the three men and the mighty sound they make.
Given that the band have not released any new music for twelve years, calling this a career-spanning set is moot but certainly numbers ranged from their debut through to 2012’s La Futura and classic staples were given a thorough airing.
This, though, is a dual-edged sword, the choice certainly hitting home with the hits and fan favourites. But there’s been very little to surprise these days.
The fact that ZZ Top are one of the finest bands on the planet with a back catalogue that contains a treasure trove of killer tunes is never in doubt. But given this show, it seems like the band are coasting rather than revving up and roaring like the famous Eliminator dragster.
With Frank Beard already in position before the lights went down, there is no fanfare as the band tear into Under Pressure. The dirty and laviscious blues of I Thank You running into a stuttering Waitin’ For The Bus and the sublime Jesus Just Left Chicago is the perfect three-part medley to get everyone nice and settled in.
With his unique playing style and bourbon-soaked larynx, there is no one else quite like Billy Gibbons on the planet and the ease at which he teases both his guitar and the audience is to witness a master craftsman.
By his side, Francis certainly has the moves too, his fluffy wig and beard an odd sight but one that fits with the band’s mystique, his elevation to the role by the late great Dusty a fitting one.
At the rear of the stage, Beard is the epitome of the less is more approach, his languid style concentrating on the groove rather than displays of flash or unnecessary power as he lays down the beat. He only raises the tempo when required for faster numbers like Legs or the Merle Travis number Sixteen Tons that the trio used to cover with Jeff Beck.
Throwing in surprisingly early Gimme All Your Lovin’ gets all the more casual or curious observers engaged, provoking the biggest singalong of the evening. But it’s older numbers like the brilliant Pearl Necklace, I’m Bad, I’m Nationwide and Brown Sugar that get the pulses really racing for the longtime fans.
An extended Tube Snake Boogie and the irresistible badass boogie of a monumental La Grange close the night, all done with the minimum of fuss that pitches things between euphoria and an almost anti-climatic feel that leaves a few wanting more.
You can’t blame the band for not playing Tush for the several thousandth time, but with the relative brevity of their sets these days and the so laid back they are horizontal approach, the overall effect is definitely muted.
Seeing the band playing arenas these days is a fun night out. But it always leaves you wanting to turn back the clock and witness the band tear up the place, such as when they played the Marquee Club in ’83.
After bringing their mighty heat for five decades now things still sizzle, but it just sometimes does not seem quite enough to feel the fire anymore.
