ZZ Top plans return to Ottawa

ZZ Top, the grizzled blues-rock trio from Texas, heads back to Ottawa for a concert Nov. 11. The band sold out a show at the NAC last November, so this time they’re playing the Canadian Tire Centre.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Famers call themselves the longest-running major rock band with original personnel intact. Guitarist-vocalist Billy F. Gibbons, bassist-vocalist Dusty Hill and drummer Frank Beard have been performing for more than 40 years.

Their concert in the posh surroundings of the NAC last fall delighted fans, wrote the Citizen’s music critic Lynn Saxberg in her review of the show. “The three members of that li’l old band from Texas didn’t give a hoot about formalities and cranked up the greasy riffs like they were entertaining the cowboys down at the saloon. At one point near the end, guitarist Billy Gibbons showed how much he cared about the rules by puffing on a cigar.

“Musically, it was a great show, taking the crowd on a ride through several decades of the band’s catalogue, starting with a string of vintage ZZ blues ... and ending with another stretch of sizzling blues rock ...”

ZZ Top has 11 gold and seven platinum records. Their 1983 album Eliminator was the most commercially successful, selling more than 10 million units, according to Wikipedia.

The band is promoting La Futura, their first new album in nine years, and a return to their bluesy roots.

The Nov. 11 show, to be staged in the theatre configuration of the Canadian Tire Centre, starts at 8 p.m. Tickets are $59 to $99, plus service charges, at capitaltickets.ca or by phone at 613-599-3267, and go on sale Thursday at 10 a.m.