Words:Karen Hetherington
It’s been seven years since I last saw ZZ Top on stage and quite honestly, with the sad passing of Dusty Hill three years ago I doubted the opportunity would ever present again, after all, replacing a bassist and co-founder who was such an integral part of the band for 50 years is no mean feat and not a decision to be taken lightly, particularly as this stage or their career. With Wembley Arena announced as the only tour date in the UK I figured it was an occasion not to be missed, throw in Those Damn Crows and Rival Sons as support bands and a heady mix of first class entertainment was sure to be on the agenda.
With three bands on the line up this gig was an early starter and sadly, by the time I got into the arena Those Damn Crows had already started their set, queues for drinks and merchandise were bypassed as they were ridiculously long and when I got to the bottom of the stair well en-route to allocated seats I was stopped in my tracks by security who informed me that I could not avail of the seats I had been allocated as that section was closed off and I would have to wait to be given paper tickets for different seats. Protesting that I was missing the band fell on deaf ears and I was told to speak to a supervisor. A few punters were overheard to be arguing with said supervisor saying they had paid for three bands and wanted to see three only to be told that it was “okay” as the tickets would materialise in time to watch the main band. By the time I was ushered to the newly allocated seats Rival Sons were nearing the end of their second song ‘Open My Eyes’.
I have been lucky enough to see Rival Sons several times in the past few years and they absolutely never disappoint. ‘Too Bad’ and ‘Do your Worst’ featured in the all too short performance but listening to ‘Feral Roots’ live was the ultimate highlight of my evening, this band are so musically “tight but loose” that they never fail to blow me away, my only complaint being the short duration of the set and that I missed the start of it…
With a reasonably quick turnaround, veteran rockers ZZ Top took to the stage with Elwood Francis on bass and instantly I noted an issue with their sound. An all seated venue for this particular event, bass and drum resonance reverberated loudly obscuring the guitar and vocals. The band were playing with gusto and were more than certainly unaware of the problem, however, one track down I thought for sure someone would fix it, they didn’t and it was much more prevalent during certain songs throughout the set which kicked off with ‘Got Me Under Pressure’.
The performance featured all the classic hits with the exception of ‘Tush’…
‘Gimme All Your Lovin’, ‘Sharp Dressed Man’ and ‘Legs’ predictably generated the greatest applause but this band have so much more to offer than these catchy tunes, scratch the surface and some absolute gems lie beneath. After a brief stage exit, the band returned for three encores, finishing with ‘La Grange’ before making a hasty and silent departure into the night…
Sound issue aside, they played incredibly well and with their usual panache although their 75 minute set seemed to go by in the blink of an eye and, for me with just under two hours of live music overall, I was left a little disappointed…
Upon later discussion with several others in attendance, it was brought to my attention that the sound issue experienced from my vantage point was not heard universally throughout the venue with some claiming there was an issue and others not but from my own experience there was absolutely no sound disturbance when Rival Sons were on stage. I remain optimistic of seeing ZZ Top back in the UK again very soon and hopefully in a less chaotic setting…
SETLIST:
Got Me Under Pressure (Elwood on 17-string bass)
I Thank You (Sam & Dave cover)
Waitin’ for the Bus
Jesus Just Left Chicago
Gimme All Your Lovin’
Pearl Necklace (Followed by band introductions)
I’m Bad, I’m Nationwide
I Gotsta Get Paid
My Head’s in Mississippi
Sixteen Tons (Merle Travis cover)
Just Got Paid
Sharp Dressed Man
Legs
Encore:
Brown Sugar
Tube Snake Boogie
La Grange