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ZZ Top At The Beacon Theatre, NYC - by J. Blake
(New York, NY)
When one thinks of ZZ Top, a few things come to mind…beards, sunglasses, furry guitars, hot rod cars and girls. It is an image that the trio spent years cultivating and one that they fully embraced with the advent of the music video in the 1980s. They have been together and touring for 40 years, an amazing feat in the world of rock and roll, and though their stage personas still pull from that very important hyper-masculine imagery, a band could not have survived this long without some truly great music to back it up.
Recently, the blues-rock trio blew threw New York City like a Texas tornado; entertaining sold-out crowds at the historic Beacon Theatre on September 12th and 13th. Their set lists played like a greatest hits collection, covering just about every one of their crowd-pleasing hits, as well as a few rarities like 1981’s “Party On The Patio” from the album EL LOCO and a “Hey Joe” tribute to Jimi Hendrix.
They performed their signature brand of riff-driven blues-rock with gusto and a wonderful looseness that only comes from decades of repetition and experience. Classics like “La Grange”, “Waiting For The Bus”, “Jesus Just Left Chicago”, “Tush”, “Sharp Dressed Man”, “Give Me All Your Lovin’”, “Cheap Sunglasses” and “Legs” (and so many more) flowed out of the trio with ease and the fun Billy Gibbons and Dusty Hill appeared to be having on stage was absolutely infectious. As my brother (who accompanied me to the concert) pointed out, “one of the keys to how enjoyable the show was is that they seemed to be having as much, if not more, fun than the audience.”
After all these years, their music shows no signs of wear and thankfully the band itself shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon. Without question, ZZ Top has still got “it” and seeing them live should be at the top of every blues (and rock) lover’s to do list.
It is also worth noting that Moreland & Arbuckle proved to be a worthy opening act. The Kansas-based duo has been hitting the road hard in support of they’re Telarc International debut FLOOD and their future looks bright. With their harder edged slant on traditional blues rhythms, Moreland & Arbuckle continues to be one of this writer’s favorite contemporary music groups and is definitely worth checking out.
If you enjoyed this article, you may also enjoy our 2009 Interview with Moreland & Arbuckle.
Thanks and keep reading American Blues News and also check out Media Wah Wah for more of this writer’s thoughts and opinions about Movies, Music, TV & More.
Copyright © 2010 - J. Blake. All Rights Reserved
