Double Down Live

ZZ Top - Double Down Live - Release Date 10/23/09

First announced during Billy and Dusty's hosting of WWE Raw, this exciting (apparently 2) DVD set will be released in the latter half of this October. Comprised of the band's 1980 Rockaplast performance in Essen, Germany and an (assumed) documentary of their 2008 USA and Europe tours.

Those that have seen the Rockaplast performance know it is an extremely exciting and energetic performance. Clocking in at nearly two hours the bands rips through a large number of the bands rock and blues tracks. Heavy on the fuzz and bass, the youth of the band (31 years of age for all three I believe) results in exuberent and aggressive playing. Billy is especially animated in his actions, ranging from jumping, running, kneeling, leaning and even sitting (in a comical way). The video quality of the versions available range from poor to very good, and the auto available is top notch. A clean and vibrant video copy is extremely exciting and I will have my copy pre-ordered as soon as possible.

ZZ toured in American in the Spring of '08 before embarking on a relatively short European jaunt in early Summer. They returned to the U.S. in the fall for the "In Your Face" tour. This was an exciting idea whose potential was not fully realized as the band failed to overhaul or "personalize" the performances. The 2008 portion of the "Double Down Live" set could feature backstage footage and performances from any one of this touring schedules.

I am certain this will prove to be a very exciting and fulfilling addition to the ZZ Top catalogue.