Go...Daddy...Go; Special Batch 44 Hard

Okay, so apparently the company Go Daddy throws one hell of a party.

Saturday night, December 11th, Scottsdale, Arizona. Folk / Pop singer and songwriter Jewel, George Thorogood and the Destroyers, and that Little Ol' Band from Texas put on a private concert for more than 5,000 employees, family and friends of internet domain facilitator Go Daddy. Home of the Arizona Diamondbacks, "Chase Field" was transformed into an amusement park, complete with a farris wheel, raffles, bumper cars and a merry-go-round, as well as the aforementioned musical entertainment.

I had no idea that ZZ would be performing at this party. Apparently few did. Many acts are known to perform private gigs - even Madonna can be arranged to present to a personal event, for a cool million. I could do without Jewel, but George Thorogood would have been sweet to see in "support" of ZZ.

Anyway, check out the videos on YouTube. Looks like the Boyzz played a full set, doesn't seem like any new songs though. I haven't found a set list for Odessa either, anybody know what they played?

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Anyone seen the new "Special Batch 44 Hard" t-shirt on the band's merchandise web site. Any ideas what this is referring too? Couldn't have something to do with a new record could it? Nah..

There comes a time...but not yet

So I was reading an article in today's Wall Street Journal (hey, some of the articles can be interesting!) and a major feature was the debate on rock stars rapidly approaching retirement age. The article focused mainly on Mr. Bob Dylan, an amazing writer and musician who has shared his talents for almost 50 years now. Dylan, along with the likes of The Rolling Stones, Little Richard and Jerry Lee Lewis are all continuing to perform, but should they? Mr. Tamborine man himself is 69.

So what about ZZ Top? All of them are very close in age, each will be turning 62 years old in 2011. Should they call it a day and retire? I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say no, not yet.

There are some indicators however that have to be monitored. I would deem these to be energy, enthusiasm, ability and creativity. The energy to still play, the enthusiasm to still want to play, the physical ability to still play well, and the creativity to make new music (not just rehash the old stuff over and over). Out of these four factors, ZZ currently meets three. The physical ability is still there, all three members remain masters of their respective instruments and appear quite spry. The energy is there, with the possible exception of Frank, but I would argue he has appeared to be on the verge of falling asleep onstage since 1999 and keeps on going. Same for enthusiasm, Frank keeps on hitting the skins with his long time friends so he must still have a drive for being in a rock 'n roll band. It's the creativity that's a tough call. Do they still have the ambition, desire and need to create new music? Or do they wish to remain a caricature of themselves, which, having not released a new record since 2003, they are rapidly becoming. This most crucial element is likely to be answered very soon, with 2011 being a do or die year in terms of remaining relevant in today's music scene. I truly hope the band comes out with something great in the upcoming year, but let's face it, even an underwhelming effort similar to something like "El Loco" would be great to hear. And the band must absolutely support any new album that is released by playing some new songs live. I've said it before, AC/DC did it, therefore so can ZZ Top.

Here's hoping and looking forward to a still relevant, active, creative and enthusiastic ZZ Top in 2011!

Australia 2011 / Australia 2000

ZZ Top apparently starting things off next year in Australia. First time they have been there since 2000 to my knowledge. Apparently they played some rarities on that past tour - "36-22-36", "Teddy Bear" and "Poke Chop Sandwich". No recordings exist however that I know of. Sure would be sweet if they play some rarities and/or new songs this go around.

Here is the link to the article:
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/entertainment/zz-tops-five-date-australian-tour-coincides-with-byron-bay-blues-festival/story-e6frf96f-1225962852129

Check out the caption on the picture.....wait, which ones Dusty? I thought the one named Beard didn't have a beard?

ZZ recording in west Texas?

Okay, I admit it that headline was a stretch, but it got your attention didn't it. Things seem to be pretty quiet, or my usual sources aren't talking, one of the two. I haven't heard of any other official concerts in December outside of the Odessa, TX show. It does seem unusual for them to do one isolated concert. The only thing I can think of, and this is the big stretch, is that perhaps they are recording nearby. Remember when Rick Rubin apparently tweeted that they were looking for a roadhouse type location in west Texas to lay down some new tracks but were having trouble finding one that wasn't a tourist trap. Perhaps they found a good spot afterall, as Odessa is indeed in far west Texas. Sure would be awesome to find out (or hear!) some new songs at this mystery show. Time will tell.

No update as far as I know on the 2011 Houston Rodeo show yet either. If anybody finds out anything please post it here. Thanks!

New Concert Date Announced

Appears the group will be doing a show in Odessa, TX on 12/09/10. Read the article here:
http://www.oaoa.com/articles/top-55646-concert-promises.html

Billy promises the show will be full of "surprises", with songs from their early years and tunes pre-dating the birth of the group's members. Whether this means more of the same i.e. Future Blues and Brown Sugar, or new covers and long forgotten tracks ("Neighbor, Neighbor" anyone?) remains to be seen.

Also sounds like a great opportunity to preview a few rough cuts from the new album. But I'm likely dreaming.

Please comment if you plan on attending this show. And also please advise if you know anyone that may be taping this show.

28 days to go...

Tumbleweeds / 2011 Rodeo / Thank you

So far things have been quiet. It's early though. Hopefully the band is relaxing with family - Billy doing the same while thinking about song titles!

A recordings of ZZ's final show of the 2010 World Tour in Moscow surfaced. Despite having played the songs upwards of 80 times the group still sounded energetic. As the tour progressed Billy jammed (solo) more and more between songs. As a result the introductions to "I Need You Tonight" and "Brown Sugar" grew pretty long. Several people have indicated that ZZ had indeed played Russia before, so let it be known, like thousands of times before and surely to follow, I was wrong - St. Petersburg and Moscow 2010 were not the first shows in Russia.

Anybody follow Rick Rubin on Twitter? I personally cannot stand the whole "tweet" thing but it does seem to be an occasional good source of intermittent info regarding the band. Any news from Mr. Rubin?

I have been checking the 2011 Houston Livestock and Rodeo website to look for any ZZ announcements. Having more or less established a pattern of playing the Rodeo every two years they are due to appear next year. I will definitively be attending if they play it, one cannot be sure how many more years the group will be playing live. It has been suggested that if ZZ ever played a "final" gig it would likely be in Houston, perhaps at the Rodeo, but I don't anticipate this to be the circumstances in 2011. Money is too tight for me to fly, looks like a 22 hour road trip is in my future. Hopefully they will be on the docket, if anybody hears any news please post in the comments section.

Thank you to those that have posted recently in the comments section, in my opinion it really adds  to the appeal and importance of this blog as a means of communication between ZZ Top fans. I truly hope everyone enjoys reading this page as well, regardless of whether or not you choose to comment.

2011 - Amateur Predictions of the Future

Friday, 10/29/2010. Moscow. The screams of Dusty and the finale of Frank's drums thunder one last time as "Tush" draws to a close. The 2010 World Tour, by every interpretation and definition, will go down as one of the group's most extensive and expansive tours ever. Featuring two long stints in America intermixed with two jaunts to Europe, including the first ever shows in Russia, the trip was a long and, I've got to assume, somewhat exhausting one.

Time for some rest.

Sometime in December, 2010. Mr Rubin places a call. "Billy" Rick says. "Yeah" Billy replies. "Let's lay 'em on down". "Sounds good, when?" questions the Reverend. "After Christmas, second week of January". "You got it" is the upbeat, and this time, determined answer.

January, 2011. Los Angeles. Billy enters the studio w/ Rubin, laying out rough ideas comprised over the past seven years. Ideas for a theme and record title are debated and discussed.

February, 2011. Houston. Billy heads back to his hometown and meets up with his bandmates. Dusty and Frank lay down rough takes on bass and drums and throw their creative feedback into the mix.

March, 2011. Los Angeles. Billy calls on Hardy and Moon to apply polish, structure, timing, and sequence to the tracks. Out of 25 possible tunes Billy narrows it down to 15. ZZ also plays the Houston Rodeo to a full house, but no new tracks are debuted. "Just Got Back From Baby's", "Rattlesnake Shake", "Breakaway" and Williams' "All My Ex's Live In Texas" are rarities of note.

April, 2011. Converted warehouse in Central Texas. ZZ Top, with Rubin at the control deck, records live the 15 songs which will comprise the groups next effort, to be released late Summer 2011.

May, 2011. Los Angeles. Final mixing under the care of Rubin and Gibbons. Album, as yet untitled, is announced to the public.

June, 2011. Los Angeles. Final mastering.

August 30, 2011. ZZ Top's 15th album is released to positive critical and public reception.

Late September, 2011. Beginning of 30 date tour in America, ends mid October in Houston, TX.

Late October, 2011. Beginning of 20 date tour in Europe, finishing at Wembley, London.

December, 2011. Announces World Tour beginning April, 2012.

Hey, it could happen. You never know.