Fall 2008. ZZ Top decides to get back to their roots, reconnect with their audience, and create a renewed intimacy and sincerity in their live performances. Great intentions, but flawed results.
The announcement of the "In Your Face" tour was met with much excitement and anticipation. The band had been quoted as saying they would pull out some rarities, using the opportunity of playing in smaller venues to perform something besides the usual MTV hits and "Pincushion". But it didn't happen. Brought in were "Future Blues" and "Catfish Blues". These were not rarities, and had been performed by the band many many times in the not too distant past.
This was and is astounding, confusing in it's reality. The Top has a huge back catalogue of incredible music. Album after album of varied and outstanding tracks, each containing many elements that reflect the Top's ability to change with the times, to play what they see and hear. How can the band members elect to play "Future Blues" when they could have played "Nasty Dogs and Funky Kings", "El Diablo", "Sheik" and "Just Got Back From Baby's"? How about some that have never been played live; "Penthouse Eyes", "Isn't Love Amazing" or "Mescalero"? I can only thing of one reason, one excuse: apathy. An impressive display of indifference, the tour's lack of previous gems reflected an apparent disconnect with the fans that have supported the band for 15, 25, 35 years. Of course these long standing fans will go see the group live when they come through town, but that doesn't mean they won't be disappointed by the lack of nostalgia. I can confidently say that nobody really wants to have "Legs" and "Tush" pounded into their brains show after show. If it's what they love to play, cool, play the hits. But pull some rabbits out of your hat. The disappointingly brief appearance of "It's Only Love" earlier in 2008 was just that, brief. It's an awesome song, true fans love it. Just because the drunk 40-something year old didn't scream at the top of his lungs when you played it doesn't mean the audience doesn't want to hear it.
To be fair, the group did breakout "Hey Joe". A satisfying deviation from "Foxy Lady", the track was well received. But it didn't matter, the opportunity to break the 10 year rut had been missed.
1970 through 1983 saw the band mixing up the set list, often night to night. How great would it be to go to a show and not actually be able to predict the evening's proceedings?
Give the fans credit. They love ZZ Top, no matter what they play, but showing a legitimate and cognizant awareness of your back catalogue, and the fans appreciation of same, would go a long way towards creating a true intimate, sincere and genuine live experience.
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