Rest in Peace Frank Braun

Very sad to hear of the recent passing of Frank Braun. He was a well known ZZ Top fan in Europe who had a special relationship with the band and especially Billy. Frank has been invited on stage at shows before and the group always made a point to spend time with him when they were touring.

I had a few exchanges of correspondence with Frank in the past and he was always very kind and fun to speak with. He spoke highly of this blog which meant a lot to me. He also gave me the inside scoop about the impending release date news of "La Futura" about a week before it was officially announced which I felt truly reflected his passion both for the band and for fans who loved ZZ almost as much as he did.

Below is a very nice memorial composed by P. Anthony. I wish Frank all the best in his next life.

ZZ Top and Jeff Beck

Finally, a co-tour with ZZ that I can support. Great news to see these guys doing a tour together, and both playing full sets and apparently joining together to jam a little at the end. Should be fantastic stuff.

My friend in the Northeast has already committed to a show in Massachusetts and I'm debating about trying to see a few shows as well. So far the 2014 shows have been relatively low key without too many set list surprises (although "Catfish Blues" is a nice addition). Maybe Jeff Beck, who Billy admires particularly, will inspire the band to freshen it up a little for the co-tour.

I have yet to see any live recordings from this year aside from the Youtube clips and all that. If anybody has a complete recording of a show from this year please let me know.

ZZ will hit Europe soon where they continue to have an amazing following. I wonder how well "La Futura" sold across the pond....

Now that I think about it "Drive By Lover" would be a cool song to hear live...