Manchester, NH 05/25/2012 Show Review and Pictures

Here is senior contributor Senor Volto's final show review and analysis of the opening night of ZZ's Gang of Outlaws tour, which proved to be a most unique and satisfying endeavor for all.

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The lights dimmed for ZZ Top at 9:45 – they were supposed to start at 9:25, but someone from the arena told me that Gretchen Wilson started 20 minutes late.  The show started with the familiar boxing ring bell and the howling wolf with the techno music.  But that’s where the similarities to last year’s show ended.  The tumbling dice speakers were replaced by one 4x12 speaker cabinet on each side on Frank’s drums.  There was the big “lite-brite” screen in the back, and there was a new small “lite-brite” screen on each side of the stage.  The overall light show was improved from last tour.  They showed a “Gang of Outlaws” fake movie trailer showing the names as cast members over images of the desert to some pretty melodramatic music.  Then a lady on screen from the cast of the “movie” called “The Blonde” introduced the band (the ZZ Tops).  The big screen then said that the following performance was rated ZZ (Suited for Tone, Taste, and Tenacity) as the boyzz snuck into position on the dark stage.  When the lights came up Billy and Dusty were in position wearing plain black suits with hats on (Billy was already wearing his Blues hat) and Frank had a dark grey T-shirt on.

The first surprise of the setlist was when the band started with “I Thank You”.  Billy and Dusty’s singing was soulful as they harmonized well and Billy’s first solo was gritty and dynamic.  ZZ was playing at a lower volume than 3 Doors Down, and the overall sound was great and Dusty’s bass and Frank’s kick drum were really thumping.  Billy and Dusty started the night with the Telecaster-style instruments (with matching pickguards) that looked like the instruments used at the Houston Rodeo earlier this year.  Billy’s guitar featured the longhorn near the neck.  They went right into Waitin’ For The Bus without stopping and then slid right into “Jesus Just Left Chicago”.  Again the bottom end of the sound was powerful and Billy’s leads were crisp and inspired.  Billy then asked if we were having a good time and said they were going to tear the place down.  They went into Pincushion that featured Dusty punching out the bass notes on his guitar neck during the interludes.  Billy took off at the end of Pincushion with an extended solo that showed he meant business.

The next event has become a fairly regular event at Top shows as Billy picked a First Album out of the front row (out of about ten albums being waved around) and had the band sign it.  He finished with his auctioneer bit as the crowd ate it all up.  He then said “Just Kidding” and handed it back to a girl in the front row.

The surprises continued as he said “this makes us want to go back down to the Mexican border.  Let’s go way back!”, then they ripped into “Heard It On The X”.  Billy and Dusty traded vocals as Frank blasted away on the drums.  The crowd around us really got into it as was singing along with gusto.  Dusty was doing his howling and catcalls.  It was just under 3 minutes of furious playing that ended on a dime with Billy and Dusty standing about three feet apart with their arms crossed in Xs.

The next setlist surprise was “Vincent Price Blues” from Rhythmeen.  Billy said it “should be from a Halloween movie”.  Dusty and Frank’s thundering low end went right through our chests in the third row.  Billy’s plaintive singing was great, but the highlight was his guitar playing showing off all his tricks – gritty rhythm, slow twisting phrases loaded with vibrato, blasts of notes, and just the right amount of feedback.

Then they went totally off the grid.  Billy called Vincent “kinda spooky blues” and then asked “Shall we get really weird?” and said “Here’s a song about where we came from” and they went into what s thought to be the live debut of the obscure “Heaven, Hell, or Houston” from El Loco.  The lite-brite showed the lyrics and I was totally thrilled by the choice of this song.  And it sounded very good – Billy’s vocal was processed, but it was definitely not a tape.  Although the crowd seemed to be caught a little of guard by this one, it was a great surprise.

Billy and Dusty went for a guitar change as Billy switched to a vintage sunburst Gibson Melody Maker with pinstripe accents, and Dusty went for a black Fender P-Bass (not sure if it was his new Fender Custom Shop model).  They used these instruments right up until Legs.

The next delight was My Head’s In Mississippi.  The first verse was just Billy and Frank and Billy let the crowd finish singing the verse.  Then the whole band blasted into the complete song.  Billy played soaring leads for some of his best work of the night.  The timing was perfect and the crowd around me was totally into it and singing along.  The final guitar solo was great as the band finished the five-minute beauty with a quick false stop, Frank’s quick drum fill, and then the final beat.

The next setlist surprise was Beer Drinkers and Hell Raisers as Billy and Dusty again traded vocals.  This time Dusty’s vocal seemed down in the mix – he did motion to the sound crew at the side of the stage.  Billy’s leads again were smoking.

The final surprise was “Stages”.  Dusty was thumping away on the bass, and his vocal seemed to be back in the mix.  The crowd was rocking along as the band played a very confident version of this one.

The Eliminator trio was next.  Gimme All Your Lovin’ featured Billy’s pinch harmonics at the end and was followed by Sharp Dressed Man and Legs.  The highlight of the Eliminator trilogy was Billy’s extended guitar solo at the end on Legs, which of course featured the fur-covered guitars.  The band hustled off stage at the end of the regular set.

For the encore, Billy and Dusty were wearing the Mariachi jackets featured on last year’s tour.  Billy went with the sunburst Gibbons Lucky Mojo guitar (Gibson Les Paul copy), and Dusty went with his blonde Fender.  They started with the La Grange/Sloppy Drunk/Bar-B-Q.  Since Bar-B-Q was omitted on recent tours, it was a nice addition. Billy threw the bottle over his shoulder to Pablo (who had to make a nice catch).  The final number was Tush, where Dusty gave it his all.  The band pounded away at the encores leave the crowd screaming for more.  At the end of Tush the boys took a bow, left the stage and the house lights came right up.

I thought it was a great show.  The band seemed to be having fun, the playing was inspired, and the new set list was dynamite.  This show features songs for the causal fan as well as the hardcore fan.  Some may have been disappointed (no Pressure, Sunglasses, Nationwide), but this setlist will be a welcome change for those that were tiring of the 2009-2011 song list.  I was hoping to hear some new music (25 Lighters?), but I will gladly trade that for an obscure nugget like Heaven, Hell, or Houston.  Besides, they will play the new songs in the future, perhaps later on the “Outlaws” tour or during the solo shows later this year.  As far as the Gang of Outlaws tour, I could see the paring of Top with Gretchen Wilson, but 3 Doors Down was not a match in my eyes.