Sharp Dressed Band

Good ol' boys kickin' up a storm

It is 1991, at least a couple of decades after the formation of that l'il ol' band from Texas, ZZ Top. I have in my hand tickets to see this immortal blues-rock trio. Ever since I first heard the song Cheap Sunglasses on the radio in the 70's, I have had a deep admiration for the cool simmering sounds of the guys with the serious beards (plus the merely mustached drummer, who simply had the last name Beard). Nothing super flashy about their music, but it was built with solid rockin' rhythms that were catchy, fun, and well-suited to an evening of partying.

ZZ Top became quite famous in the 80's for their stylin' videos on the TV music specialty channels. Beautiful girls, shiny vintage cars, fuzzy guitars, and of course - cheap sunglasses. I loved all of that stuff. But they were more than just an image. Yes, they had a sense of humour, and that showed even in their music's lyrics, which included a lot of clever double entendres (though not nearly as many obvious ones as AC/DC). But their music stands the test of time very well... even their earliest albums are still highly entertaining and relevant, not at all dated. The talent of Billy Gibbons, Dusty Hill, and Frank Beard is clear on every tune they crank out. Gibbons has been hailed as a top guitarist in many a poll. 

Way back somewhere in those hazy days of the early-to-mid 80's, I saw a few minutes of a ZZ Top tribute band at a fair, and that reminded me of just how enduring those songs are. So once I finally got to see the real thing, it was a major treat. Let's just say that the evening was fun if rather blurry in the ol' memory banks. I am pretty sure it was Extreme who opened for the Top. Around that time, I didn't mind some of Extreme's music, but I wasn't exactly a fan or anything. ZZ Top's Recycler tour was mostly an exhilarating mash of all of their earlier hits.... there was no pretending that folks really wanted to hear all of the new album. This is the way it goes with bands that hang around this long - please the fans with the old hits and slip in a few of the new tunes to hopefully promote the new release.