1994-12-19 Essen, Germany show review (guest commentator)

Today I bring you a new perspective on ZZ Top in the mid-nineties, at the closing days of the massive Antenna album tour, what would ultimately prove to be the last arena and coliseum road trek of their career. Courtesy of my friend Dirk, I give you:

1994-12-19 Essen, Germany

"This show is a marker in many ways, at least as far as I am concerned. And a bit of a long story in the making. To sum up the impact it had on me I have to go back, way back. It was in the early 1970's - not even a teenager yet I was browsing record stores and remember seeing the first ZZ Top LPs there, liking the cool covers but not being in a position to either afford the record or have a device that I could play them on. It wasn´t till the early '80's that ZZ hit me again. MTV played the Eliminator videos and I liked the super cool videos. Just the right blend of cars, girls and Americana. And the music struck me as something I had been looking for a long time but hadn´t found till just then and there. When canned ZZ was played real loud during a major bike event in the area months later my mind went back to the videos and I thought man that music kicks even better when played loud - I must see a ZZ show when they make it to Germany.

It wasn´t until the early 1990's that I saw ZZ Top live in Dortmund, Germany, of which they were the last act to close an evening of fine live entertainment. The other bands slipped my mind, but ZZ stuck. I thought: this is getting better and better. They are way better live than expected, but now I want a full blown ZZ show. Not just them being a part of an evening. I had to wait a few more years. Then came the December night in Essen. Then a 70 mile drive, now my hometown. So Idrove the 70 miles from Aachen with a friend and co-worker of mine. We got to the venue that I was very familiar with.

I had grown up in the area and had seen many shows there, including the first ever concert of my life. So I knew of the location and its accoustic challenges and I did not expect too much. Plus I had learned that usually an opener is just that, nothing special. So we waited for the curtain to open.

When it did we saw banged up amps and an old Leslie rigged to a keyboard. And out came the opening act. Guess when the band appeared on stage many thought what I thought: oh no, not one of these long haired goups again that can´t really play. When the guitarist plugged in his beat up guitar and started into a slide solo effortlessly he proved us all wrong within the first two minutes. The Ian Moore Band rocked! So the mood was set up for a great blues rock night. Just I had no idea yet how great a night this should turn out to be.

After Ian Moore had finished the lights came on again while the stage was cleared of his equipment. He´d been using the front portion of the stage, so the actual full stage was still behind a curtain. Then the venue lights went off. Showtime! Some sound was heared that reminded me of the static and noise you hear when scrolling down the dail of your radio tuner looking for a station you want to hear. When the right channel was found lights came on and the band members stepped thru back lit circular blinds located on the upper back of the stage. With the crowd cheering they assumed their start positions and fell into “World Of Swirl”. And I was swirled into the musical world I had always been looking for and have not left since.

All I saw and heard was so good that my head was spinning, not knowing what to focus on. The pure craftmanship of the three guys. The stage to me being an art deco blend of a radio receiver and a Chevrolet dashboard. The coolness that oozed from every little bit that was done on stage. The finest drum kit I had ever seen. The parade of amazing guitars played thru the night. The showgirls who were any schoolboy´s dream come true. The finest music. Was it the amazing sound? Or the tone that was generated?

As the boyzz moved thru the set-list there was never a dull moment. So exciting to dive into this world. Up to that day I had not made myself familiar with their music catalogue. I only knew what MTV had broadcast and the little bit I had heard in Dortmund a while ago. So essentially all was new. And I loved every second of it. It was my pace, my tone, my beat, and as Marty McFly in Back To The Future once said you could dance to it. And party we did.

As far as sound goes I have already stated that the venue isn´t easy at all. Some architectual things that had made rows of sound engineers scratch their heads. And there I was listening to the best live sound I had heared and have not found paralleld anywhere since. It was loud! It was clear! When Frank whacked the first 2x 3 beats leading into Rough Boy you could feel it as if someone hit you over the forehead with a roof batten. The buzz from Dusty´s bass blended and matched exactly with the groan of the lower tones of Bill´s guitar. It was one combo. The higher tunes from Billy´s guitar were loud and clear but never piercing. But so powerfull. When the Dean Z´s came out you could literally feel how their tone caved your head in.

The cool flashy instruments is one thing. To master them another. To do it in style yet another. To do it like the boyzz did is a whole different ballpark. Every one of the band a perceived master of his instrument, but what they achieve together is nothing less than fine art. Perfect timing for tempo changes and stops. And when they stop, they stop. Not a single sound from anywhere. The roar comes to an abrupt and complete silence. And the boyzz freeze in the same instant. And then, synchronic, it all comes to life again. Not a slow ramp up,  not missing a beat, no offset in their timing. Just ON.

And they meke it look easy. At times Dusty would lean again the art deco stage props playing on, looking relaxed and perfectly at ease with what he was doing. And yet he was completely focused  The band is like a swiss clock work. Only that the swiss clock work is boring. The boyzz are pure cool.

The perfection and craftmanship was so obvious, and it was so entertaining that it was clear this could stand alone. No additional gimmicks needed to keep the audience entertained. And yet it was there. Art deco stage, neon lit guitars and all. And the show girls. When they appaered the crowd went nuts. Be it them behind back lit blinds as the extented rythm section for Breakaway, or as the Lone Wolf Horns during She Loves My Automobile, they were nothing but stunning. Blonde or brunette every one a show stopper for herself. Combined beyond words.

I could go on with the set list. But you can read that up somewhere. This here is supposed to be subjective. And the subjective bit about the set list is that it was about the last time I got to hear a ZZ Top set list that wasn´t a best of compilation but had significant portions of a new album. I miss that.

I miss the tone. Today´s Gretch Billy Bo´s don´t have it
I miss the sound, it hasn´t been that good since.
I miss the girls. Not that they were needed, but man they looked great.
I missed the passion and cool during the Mescalero tour. Glad that is back.

I missed the show so bad that I kept looking for a recording for 17 years. Thanks to Brian I found it.
That night I found my music. It felt like coming home. I guess you know what I mean. And I haven´t left home since. For that and for finest, unmatched, straight A entertainment my thanks go to Frank, Dusty and Billy.

Dirk"