ZZ Top: A rock masterclass, delivered with a flick of the wrist
While on record ZZ Top are often explorative, and sometimes downright weird, in concert the surprises are few and far between – even down to their chest-length beards, dusty hats and cheap sunglasses. With minimal stage production and illuminated only by white light, last night’s show at Wembley Arena was akin to watching one of the world’s oldest bar bands perform.
ZZ Top have been around for 55 years and their concerts have been like this for a while. A frankly filthy rendition of I Gotsta Get Paid was the only song of the night recorded in the 21st century. Elsewhere, the fluent ease with which Waitin’ For The Bus ceded ground to Jesus Just Left Chicago (both from their 1973 album Tres Hombres) provided crowd-pleasing proof that sections of this set have been locked in place for decades.
Despite being onstage for barely 80 minutes, nonetheless, this was one of ZZ Top’s better visits to London. As the band unfurled Gimme All Your Lovin’ far earlier than might have been expected, the roar from the audience confirmed the party had started in earnest. As Billy F Gibbons faithfully delivered one of the finest solos of its era, it was here, particularly, that his astonishing skill as a lead guitarist resonated from front row to back. Tasteful and instantly distinctive, it was a pleasure – hell, one might even call it a privilege – to watch him play.
While in the past week AC/DC have been missing the high notes across the way at Wembley Stadium, ZZ Top seemed to pull it all together with a flick of the wrist. Both bands are truly great, of course: Angus Young as the eternal schoolboy, Billy F Gibbons as the Wild West troubadour. But it was the apparent good nick of the latter, now aged 74, that at times fostered the illusion that the Texans would be swinging by this way for years to come. Only the sight of surrogate bass player Elwood Francis in the spot normally occupied by Dusty Hill (who died in 2021) suggested otherwise.
Earlier in the night, a resounding and emphatically received set from red-blooded Californians Rival Sons included a thank you to the audience for “keeping rock music alive”. It was worth saying, too, because who can tell where the next generation of arena headliners will come from. On their last visit to Wembley in 2015, ZZ Top were joined onstage by Jeff Beck for the timeless La Grange. Nine years later, with only Gibbons and drummer Frank Beard still walking among us, rock’s demographic time-bomb continues to tick.
No further UK performances
