Nestled in the mountains Clearfield proved to be a very friendly and beautiful town. Full of working men and woman who make their pay through the sweat of their brow and the toil of their hands, they proved to be a very welcoming and eager audience for ZZ Top. The scenery reminded me of my own youth and upbringing in the mountains of southwestern Virginia.
The skies began to darken as we traveled on the two lane highway, 20 minutes outside of town. In the middle of the warmest summer on record, the day would prove no different in bringing the early evening thunderstorms. Locating the county fair grounds, first by the sound of laughter and machinery, quickly followed by the sight of farris wheels and flashing lights, we chose to park as far from the entrance as possible. Walking away after a concert is always easier than driving, and it sure feels better to be making progress, albeit it slow progress, than sitting in traffic.
Having arrived two hours early we decided to hang out in the Jeep, due in large part to the creshendoed release of the rains, the clouds finally releasing the pressure that had been fortold in the stunning lighting and powerful booms of thunder.
In the CD player was Stockholm, 10/02/1981. My favorite period of the band, the youth and fire of the group blasted through the speakers with utter force and control. Would we see any of the master of sparks that night I wondered.
Having poured for a little over an hour, the heavens finally opened to reveal the dimming sun. The journey to the fairgrounds entrance revealed a well lubricated, but well behaved, constituance. A watchful eye could pick out the ZZ T-shirts amongst the crowd, ranging from ragged Fandango to modern Mescalero. The fair proved to be heavy on food and somewhat light on rides. No matter, I had not come to get nauseous on the teacups, I had a greater purpose.
Discovering our seats were on the exposured grounds of the racetrack, initial concerns about a second occurrence of rain proved unnecessary. The only remanants of the earlier storms would be the cool summer breeze and lowered humidity.
8:00 pm. Showtime. No opening act. No one was in the mood for a warm up anyway, we wanted to see the main attraction. True to form the chants of "ZZ Top, ZZ Top" began to bellow from the middle of the audience, quickly building in tempo and volume.
Pulling aside the curtain Frank's traditional skull kit was revealed. I had hoped the spinning dubs of the green kit would carry over from the last few European shows however it was not to be. The techno music strikingly abated, and with a confident and steady pace Billy emerged from stage left, pointing to the crowd in acknowledgement of their roaring approval. Wearing his African hat and tradional black garb, he looked as smooth as always. It must be said that Dusty pulls off one of the coolest looks in showbiz, complete with weathered modern cowboy hat and stunning black boots. His appearence is unmistakable.
Moving the pick up the fretboard, with the gain on 10 and the volume on 11, Billy relayed the Halen-esque intro to "Under Pressure". On point as ever, the band put a smile on ever face in attendance. The light-bright screen was up and running, and the chorography was in effect.
"Waitin for the Bus" / "Jesus Just Left Chicago" came next. Billy's voice was in good shape (for year 2000 - ) standards. Billy and Dusty showed off some of the moves that can be seen in the 1980 "Double Down Live" show.
The lumbering "Pincushion" was next. To me this song needs to go. If you can only play one song from the RCA era, which is ridiculous on it's own merit, than how about "Bang Bang", "Poke Chop Sandwich" or "Piece". Someone needs to start a "Death to Pincushion" campaign. The shapely blond that appears on the Lite-Bright during the song further reduces my interest in the actual track.
After "Nationwide", with Dusty's still fluent bass skills in full display, my ears welcomed "Future Blues". The first real showcase of Dusty's voice this evening, it came through powerful and clear. With no hesitation he accentuated the close of each verse. Further the relatively new second half of the song where Billy mimics Dusty's vocals on the guitar really add to the song. The audience cheered its approval.
"Rock Me Baby" is a good track, but it reminds me of the excellent version of "Rattlesnake Shake" that they did on the 2005 tour. Ultimely this spot could be better served by a blazing version of "Dust My Broom" but that is only my opinion, I don't speak for the masses or the band.
The "My Head's in Mississippi" tease is painful. The crowd always cheers and immediately begins to sing along. An utter mystery, the arguably strongest track on "Recycler" never received a fair shake from the band, being forever dropped from the set list after the 1990 tour. Night after night it is obvious the crowd recognizes and likes the song; play the damn thing in its entirety.
"Cheap Sunglasses", while pleasing to the crowd, proved unremarkable. "I Need You Tonight" was impressive, showcasing Billy's still formidable guitar prowness, and the crowd found the heavy jam to be a satisfying experience.
Billy, still conductor of the proceedings as he has always been, began to loosen up greatly at this point. Noting the visible sunset he recounted his experiences and meetings with the legendary Hendrix. "Hey Joe" was given some special treatment tonight, with excellent harmonics throughout and spanish lyrics. This track, along with "Legs" uses prominent and extensive piped in keyboards to flesh out the sound.
Acknowledging the audience's enthusastic clapping, Billy extended the solo blues licks intro to "Brown Sugar". Firing on all cyclinders, the group captivated.
"Party On the Patio" was good, but I am becoming suspect of Dusty's vocals. The pitch, tone and pace sounds very similar night after night, making me weary of possible lip-syncing at play. I will watch this carefully at the Richmond show I attend in September.
The best song of the evening "Just Got Paid" came next. Awesome guitar, awesome drums, awesome bass. More than any other track this song brings back memories of the youth and fire of yesterday.
The Eliminator trilogy was in its usual place. Having lip-synced "Legs" for many years now Billy simply must record an updated version of the song if they wish to keep playing this live without creating suspicion. His voice sounds way too clean and clear compared to the rest of the concert, and the casual fans around me remarked at the striking difference. If you must lip-synch it than use a lip-synced recording of your voice from 2010.
The encores of "La Grange" and "Tush" were good fun as always. It is especially enjoyable to see the band photos, both past and present, on the Lite-Bright during Tush.
For the first time in my experience Frank emerged from behind the drum kit and joined his bandmates in an interlocked bow. Nice to see this.
Carefully listening to the conversations of others as we exited the grounds, I noted the exhubarant and praising words of the attendees. ZZ Top had once again brought down the house, uh, fair. Good to be a fan of the best band from the States.
Have mercy...
No comments:
Post a Comment