No snoozing with ZZ Top in town
Night dominated by seriously fine steel guitar work, fascinating beards
ZZ Top returned Tuesday to RodeoHouston after a five-year absence. And it was as if the little ol’ band from Texas never left.
The guitars wailed. The drums pounded. The beards flew proudly. It was quintessential ZZ Top, complete with sunglasses and sparkling blazers, for a crowd of 59,142.
The setlist, however, got a bit of a switch up from recent tour dates. The trio kicked off its sixth time onstage with a kitschy cover of Buck Owens’ “Act Naturally” before launching into its own tunes: “Waitin’ for the Bus,” “Jesus Just Left Chicago,” “Gimme All Your Lovin’,” “I’m Bad, I’m Nationwide.”
Billy Gibbons’ dug deep into his gravelly soul for takes on Merle Travis’ “Sixteen Tons” and Johnny Cash’s “Folsom Prison Blues.” The latter boasted seriously fine steel guitar work.
Gibbons made simple, obvious stage banter that seemed to delight fans. He changed “My Head’s in Mississippi” to “My Head’s in Houston, Texas.” He introduced “Cheap Sunglasses” with the quip, “Those lights are getting bright.”
The crowd responded with cheers.
“We gotta do this one for you tonight,” Gibbons said before launching into “Sharp Dressed Man.” The ’80s hit energized the entire stadium and was followed by a grimy “Legs,” another MTV staple.
The guitars continued to squeal through “La Grange” and “Tush.” The crowd chanted every word.
And the beards seemed to get longer.