May '19
This was a convenient concert that sprung up on der's radar, so I went to Dallas with him to catch the 50th anniversary of ZZ Top's career. FIFTY years, dude! The other two bands are only a few years from their 50th as well, but rock and roll has kept these fuckers young.
This was the same place we'd seen Alice Cooper and Deep Purple a couple years ago, but we were waaay in the back of the lawn this time. Not a problem though, because a lot of weed was passed around back there, but damn were those beers expensive. Good thing der was banking at work recently, because I would never spend $17 for two fucking beers.
So first up was Cheap Trick as the "special guest". They played loud, so their sound had a lot of gain and you couldn't make out many intricacies in the guitar playing, but I love Cheap Trick, so it was worthwhile. Why are they touring with ZZ Top? I don't know, but I'll take it. Set list was:
Hello There
Hot Love
California Man
If You Want My Love
Never Had a Lot to Lose
Ain't That a Shame
Voices
I Want You to Want Me
Dream Police
Surrender
Goodnight
Next up was Bad Company. I only really know their hits, but they played them, and they played them well:
Can't Get Enough of Your Love
Rock and Roll Fantasy
Movin' On
Feel Like Makin' Love
All Because of You
Ready for Love
All Along the Watchtower
Ride on a Pony
Shooting Star
Bad Company
All Right Now
I started getting jazzed up by the time they got to "Shooting Star". I didn't think they'd outperform Cheap Trick, but they did it.
Finally... ZZ Top comes along, and they killed it. These guys are almost 70, but being a trio, their sound was loud and clear, and pretty damn perfect. Billie and Dusty had their beards, they moved in sync a lot, and they were shredding. Frank Beard (drummer) was kicking that drum's ass, too.
I knew some of these songs more when I was younger, and had to look up some of them when I got home. Around halfway through the set, there were a few songs I couldn't make out ANY words too, but it all cleared up toward the end, where they rocked our socks off:
Under Pressure
I Thank You
Gimme All Your Loving
Pearl Necklace
I'm Bad, I'm Nationwide
I Gotsta Get Paid
My Head's in Mississippi
Sixteen Tons
Beer Drinkers and Hellraisers
Just Got Paid
Sharp Dressed Man
Legs
La Grange/Tush
The whole night was pretty fun. Nice weather, beer, weed, more beer, and a lot of rock and roll. Also, being a TX concert for a TX band, there were a lot of rednecks too, but also a lot of titties and sexy women.
We tried to bail a touch early during their final medley so we could beat traffic, but we definitely did not beat it. We were stuck in that damn parking lot for 70 minutes!
Everyone got along fine during the concert because of all that rock and roll peace and love vibes, but as soon as the concert was over, people turned into assholes, trying to inch ahead and cut in front of us, and shout double middle-fingered obscenities at us when they couldn't, but fortunately, der wasn't having any of it, or we'd have probably been there another 30 something minutes.
Finally got home at 1am, had to wake up for work at 3am, and that sucked, but the rest was great. We'll return to that venue in September to see... Iron Maiden! Can't wait for that shit.
This was the same place we'd seen Alice Cooper and Deep Purple a couple years ago, but we were waaay in the back of the lawn this time. Not a problem though, because a lot of weed was passed around back there, but damn were those beers expensive. Good thing der was banking at work recently, because I would never spend $17 for two fucking beers.
So first up was Cheap Trick as the "special guest". They played loud, so their sound had a lot of gain and you couldn't make out many intricacies in the guitar playing, but I love Cheap Trick, so it was worthwhile. Why are they touring with ZZ Top? I don't know, but I'll take it. Set list was:
Hello There
Hot Love
California Man
If You Want My Love
Never Had a Lot to Lose
Ain't That a Shame
Voices
I Want You to Want Me
Dream Police
Surrender
Goodnight
Next up was Bad Company. I only really know their hits, but they played them, and they played them well:
Can't Get Enough of Your Love
Rock and Roll Fantasy
Movin' On
Feel Like Makin' Love
All Because of You
Ready for Love
All Along the Watchtower
Ride on a Pony
Shooting Star
Bad Company
All Right Now
I started getting jazzed up by the time they got to "Shooting Star". I didn't think they'd outperform Cheap Trick, but they did it.
Finally... ZZ Top comes along, and they killed it. These guys are almost 70, but being a trio, their sound was loud and clear, and pretty damn perfect. Billie and Dusty had their beards, they moved in sync a lot, and they were shredding. Frank Beard (drummer) was kicking that drum's ass, too.
I knew some of these songs more when I was younger, and had to look up some of them when I got home. Around halfway through the set, there were a few songs I couldn't make out ANY words too, but it all cleared up toward the end, where they rocked our socks off:
Under Pressure
I Thank You
Gimme All Your Loving
Pearl Necklace
I'm Bad, I'm Nationwide
I Gotsta Get Paid
My Head's in Mississippi
Sixteen Tons
Beer Drinkers and Hellraisers
Just Got Paid
Sharp Dressed Man
Legs
La Grange/Tush
The whole night was pretty fun. Nice weather, beer, weed, more beer, and a lot of rock and roll. Also, being a TX concert for a TX band, there were a lot of rednecks too, but also a lot of titties and sexy women.
We tried to bail a touch early during their final medley so we could beat traffic, but we definitely did not beat it. We were stuck in that damn parking lot for 70 minutes!
Everyone got along fine during the concert because of all that rock and roll peace and love vibes, but as soon as the concert was over, people turned into assholes, trying to inch ahead and cut in front of us, and shout double middle-fingered obscenities at us when they couldn't, but fortunately, der wasn't having any of it, or we'd have probably been there another 30 something minutes.
Finally got home at 1am, had to wake up for work at 3am, and that sucked, but the rest was great. We'll return to that venue in September to see... Iron Maiden! Can't wait for that shit.
