'Still on the run': ZZ Top returns to Cape Cod after death of longtime bassist
The death last year of longtime ZZ Top bassist Dusty Hill led many fans to speculate that the band's run was over, but that's not the case. And one of ZZ Top's stops this year is the Cape Cod Melody Tent in Hyannis. Read more about the musicians' journey below, plus here are five more concerts to consider for the weekend:
► The week at Payomet Performing Arts Center (29 Old Dewline Road, North Truro) starts out with tribute concerts to beloved bands of the past. At 7 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 6, it’s the Garcia Project, on tour performing full, classic Jerry Garcia Band setlists and celebrating what would have been Garcia’s 80th birthday. At 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 7, the “Start Making Sense: Talking Heads Tribute” with a seven- to 10-piece band led by frontman Jon Braun is the entertainment for the “Once in a Lifetime” Cocktail Party fundraiser, but non-partiers are also invited to the show. Then at 7 p.m. Aug. 11, Mary Chapin Carpenter, who’s got 15 Grammy Award nominations and five wins plus multiple country music awards, will return to Payomet. Reservations and information: https://payomet.org/events.
► Eastham Public Library and its Friends group will present award-winning songwriter Claudia Nygaard performing a solo concert of original music, country, folk and more at 1 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 6 at the library, 190 Samoset Road. Admission is free; registration preferred; https://easthamlibrary.org/
► Johnny A. and his band will perform his show “From A. to BEATLES,” an instrumental reimagining of Beatles songs, at 8 p.m. Aug. 6 at The Music Room, 541 Main St. (Route 28) West Yarmouth; https://musicroomcapecodtickets.com/. The Massachusetts native has had a solo career, but has also worked with bands, including as guitarist and musical director for J. Geils Band frontman Peter Wolf for seven years, playing on two albums; and being part of the Yardbirds for three years. Also at the Music Room, at 7 p.m. Aug. 11, will be the current incarnation of pioneering Boston punk band the Nervous Eaters, which just released a new single called "Wild Eyes" with frontman Steve Cataldo and percussionist David McLean called "hometown boys" because of their early Cape connections.
Kathi Scrizzi Driscoll
ZZ Top is still on the run with 'RAW' album
The more things change, the more they stay the same for the little ol’ band from Texas.
ZZ Top singer/guitarist Billy Gibbons and drummer Frank Beard are carrying on and hitting the road after the death of bassist Dusty Hill in 2021, incorporating the band's guitar-tech Elwood Francis to take his place with Hill’s stamp of approval.
When Hill died, it might have been safe to guess that the longtime trio that has sold over 50 million albums worldwide and earned a spot in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame would probably call it a day. But, as Gibbons says, “The band is still on the run; we’re only halfway there!”
In what has become close to an annual stop for ZZ Top in recent years, the group will return Wednesday, Aug. 10 to the Cape Cod Melody Tent in Hyannis in support of the new album “RAW.”
Face-to-face rock and roll with ‘RAW’
“RAW” is the audio portion of ZZ Top’s 2019 Netflix documentary “That Little Ol’ Band From Texas” and features the classic lineup with the late Hill. The album was recorded in a live setting at Gruene Hall — known as “Texas’ oldest continually operating and most famous dance hall” — where the bandmates tracked much of the music face-to-face rather than in separate locations, or, as Gibbons puts it in an email interview, “Yes, they were all laid down in that honky-tonk.”
Recording “RAW” in such fashion was something the band had not done in some time.
“The band did indeed work close together to a great extent recording ZZ Top's ‘La Futura’, yet ‘Raw’ became intensely more intimate and fast-moving as the jams began to slam,” Gibbons explains. “Going back about four decades, finding us in a similar circumstance, is as close as could be compared.”
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The jams on “RAW” do indeed “slam” with blistering renditions of classics “La Grange” and “Just Got Paid,” plus deeper cuts like “Brown Sugar” from the band’s 1971 debut album.
“RAW” lives up to its name, and for ZZ Top fans, it is required viewing and listening.
“An unusual coupling of an album that can both be heard and seen!” Gibbons says.
The passing of The Dust and a decision to keep playing
When you think of ZZ Top, your mind probably conjures up images of big beards, cool cars and those fuzzy guitars from the “Legs” music video. Synonymous with the big beards was Hill, who along with Gibbons was known for always sporting the impressive facial hair. Ironically enough because of his name, drummer Frank Beard is the only member of the band who didn’t have one.
So, when Hill died in summer 2021, it felt to many that maybe that was it for ZZ Top. How could they possibly go on without one of their three members, someone who played such a pivotal part in the band’s success and laid down the groundwork for all their biggest hits?
It wasn’t as hard of a decision for Gibbons and Beard as you may suspect, and that’s thanks to Hill himself.
“Dusty directed and aimed making the decision to invite Elwood,” Gibbons explains. “At the time, it was thought to be temporary and The Dust would return but, alas, that was not to be. He wanted the roadshow to roll onward knowing Elwood had the ‘goods’ as did we all, so we figured it was absolutely sanctioned.”
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Enter ZZ Top’s longtime guitar-tech Elwood Francis, who has filled in for Hill and allowed Gibbons and Beard to continue playing live and honor their late bandmate.
“Elwood’s delivery is one which can be called ‘very smooth’ having remained in step with us for more than three decades now,” says Gibbons. “The tunes, the moves and vibe are all in place. Elwood stridently locked in immediately with a great, intuitive feel with the mindset of the band covering ‘then’ and, of course, ‘the now.’”
Being friends with Jimi Hendrix and advice from a blues legend
ZZ Top is one of the few rock and roll bands to still be active over 50 years after first forming, and during that time, its members have seen and heard quite a bit. One tidbit of rock lore that has managed to stick with the band is Jimi Hendrix’s admiration of fellow guitarist Gibbons, whom Hendrix once proclaimed to be his favorite guitarist.
When asked about this one-of-a-kind acknowledgment and his relationship with Hendrix, Gibbons paints a picture of a down-to-earth musician while keeping grounded himself.
“Our pre-ZZ band, the Moving Sidewalks, landed a spot on the early tour with The Experience back in the day. Jimi was warm and friendly, even kind of shy off stage as opposed to the wild guy when he was on,” Gibbons remembers. “Our friendship grew and after those dates, he invited me to tag along with their private entourage so I did … through the desert Southwest and onto Los Angeles where I got to view their big L.A. Forum show firsthand. In the midst of that night’s miraculous mayhem, he looked over at me as if to ask, ‘How am I doing?’ What can I say? It was sensational!”
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Hendrix was clearly on to something, given Gibbons and ZZ Top’s eventual success, even if he wasn’t around to see the band reach its zenith in the ‘80s. Fast forward to today and ZZ Top is still selling out shows, including the Melody Tent in previous years. It’s all about sharing a good time with the audience, Gibbons says, regardless of how many people are in attendance.
“(It) could just be the now infamous ‘only one’ as was the case back when we started, or 100,000,” he says. “When out there having a good time, just place the bet we’ll be up there having one, too.”
But just how does one continue to have a good time and find the energy to tour after over five decades of playing music? Gibbons points to some sage advice from a fellow bluesman.
“B.B. (King) gave us some of the best: Play what you want to hear,’” he says.
Don’t forget the lobster rolls
Gibbons isn’t joking when he says ZZ Top is “still on the run”: The band will get back to work on a new studio album following the current tour and has also teamed up for a collaboration outside of the music world.
Gibbons gives a hint of how the new material is shaping up.
“We’ve got a new album percolating with some preliminary tracks of blues-meets-rock laid down,” he says, describing the new music as “stone cold freight train ground shaking goin’ down. Once we turn off the road we’ll be building again from there.”
As for a non-music-related project, ZZ Top has joined forces with Balcones Distilling in Waco, Texas in what Gibbons calls “a strategic alliance between our down-home sounds and their down-home booze” to create a new whiskey called Tres Hombres.
In the meantime, the rock veterans will continue the tour that extends through late September and enjoy the sights and sounds along the way, including food at a Cape restaurant.
“We like the fact that being part of New England, (the Cape has) a special element with great food and weather. No doubt, we’ll hit Spanky’s for a lobster roll for sure.”
To see ZZ Top
When: 8 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 10
Where: Cape Cod Melody Tent, 41 W. Main St., Hyannis
Tickets: $81-$101; members, $75-$95
Reservations and information: https://melodytent.org
This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Cape Cod music: ZZ Top returns after bassist Dusty Hill's 2021 death
