Thursday, December 1, 2016

2016 Wrap Up

Well year number 47 for ZZ Top is in the books. And it was a year of highs and lows. Let's discuss how it all went down.

First the lows:

*** Dusty falling and injuring himself again  -

Honestly after further thought I don't believe there is a systemic issue per se, and from watching and listening to Dusty his health doesn't appear to be markedly declining. He has suffered two decent injuries in as many years which is never a good sign. I will briefly mention that he likely could benefit from a little weight loss but couldn't we all. Hopefully he stays positive and makes a note from all this to take good care of himself everyday.

*** Late September live performances

A period of four weeks or so from mid September through mid October or so proved to be a low point for the band in my opinion. A lot of dialing it in, short shows, skipping songs, etc. If the band members aren't really into a particular venue or locale then don't play there every year. There were a few instances where they had five days of shows in a row. Fatigue and disillusionment are bound to set in. How about spreading the concerts out more and playing longer shows? The co-headline with Gov't Mule also proved to be under utilized - what could have proved exciting turned out rather dull and mundane.

*** Lack of initiative, drive, creativity

I truly believe the boys love playing live together or else they wouldn't do it so much. But taking a step back to try something new whether it be playing some long forgotten deep cuts, or working on a few new songs, or bringing back a little creativity to the stage set up would go a long way. I'm disappointed that they are starting up touring again in February 2017 - I had hoped they would get in a little studio time to flesh out some ideas and frameworks that Billy has hinted at in the recent past.

Now the highs:

*** Synergy

When the group was on and engaged their playing was as good as ever. There is no better proof of this than a performance in Washington D.C. at the 9:30 club at the end of this past August. A packed small club venue was just what they needed to get the spark and remember the fun that can be had. A hot set was run for a longer than normal duration. This is a theme that has repeated itself, akin to Hamburg in 1991 or Barndance in Houston in 1996. They need to pursue gigs that they're interested in playing, not spending 200 days a year in a bus going from one town to the next.

......That's the only real high of the year in my opinion, but then again I'm rather objective so.....

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Here's to 2017 and any surprises it may bring!.....