ZZ Top pulled into the Beacon last Friday for a hastily-scheduled one night stand at the Beacon. When Steven Tyler fell off the stage, their gig opening for Aerosmith on the “summer shed circuit” was scrapped. Instead, their tour finds them playing some venues, like the 9:30 club in Washington, which would ordinarily be too intimate for a band with their drawing power. However, “that little ol’ band from Texas” had played the Beacon in ’05 and ’07 and their raunchy brand of border blues has always been a great fit for the venue.
From the opening barrage of “Got Me Under Pressure,” Top proclaimed that they were not messing around. Their stage setup, like the number of instruments themselves, is sparse. But the sound they deliver is LARGE. Billy Gibbons, last seen in these parts sitting in with the Allman Brothers Band during their star-studded Duane tribute run, led the band into the same tunes he played that night, “Waitin’ For The Bus/Jesus Just Left Chicago.” The band was already chugging along at mid-set form. Gibbons’ voice sounded a little deeper and raspier than usual, but their style of music screams out for such raw delivery anyway. With its reference to New York, “I’m Bad, I’m Nationwide” serves as a perfect selection for Manhattan and this version did not disappoint. The radio staple “Cheap Sunglasses” preceded the far morerare “Mexican Blackbird,” featuring vocals by Dusty Hill. This was a great change of pace. The band even drew from their debut album for “Brown Sugar,” as people are often surprised to hear that the record came out in 1970.
Reminding people not only of their longevity, but their pedigree, Billy Gibbons mentioned that Jimi Hendrix once called him his favorite guitarist. A picture of Jimi was shown behind the stage as the band did him right with “Foxy Lady.” They followed with the most random treat of the evening, “Party On The Patio,” from 1981’s El Loco album. At this point, the band shifted from great to fantastic. The blues standard “Dust My Broom” led into the band inviting an audience member and his two sons onto the stage. After asking what they wanted to hear, Gibbons followed with the unmistakable intro to “Just Got Paid.”
The closing trio of 80s hits, “Gimme All Your Lovin’, “Sharp Dressed Man” and “Legs,” might not be material worthy of getting the attention it did, but the band played even better than it had all night. The video for the set-closer was shown behind the screen and, yes, they broke out those furry guitars. The encore featured two of the most inimitable tunes in rock. The band really brought these FM staples to life and tore the roof off the renovated Beacon. Gibbons joked earlier in the show that they only play three chords. But after they left the stage, you couldn’t help but be amazed at what they can do with them.
Setlist:
Got Me Under Pressure, Waitin’ for the Bus->Jesus Just Left Chicago, Pincushion, I’m Bad, I’m Nationwide, Can’t Tell My Faith, Cheap Sunglasses, Mexican Blackbird, I Need You Tonight, Brown Sugar, Foxey Lady, Party on the Patio, Dust My Broom, Just Got Paid, Gimme All Your Lovin’, Sharp Dressed Man, Legs
Encore: La Grange->Tush
