Photos by Arnie Goodman
Distinctive ZZ Top frontman Billy F Gibbons released his homage to the blues last month, and played two nights at the iconic Iridium nightclub, long home to electric-guitar inventor Les Paul, in support of the album. Gibbons had two and a half sidemen with him and a few tricks up his sleeve to provide the celebrity audience with an enjoyable mix of blues, rock and personality.
Supporting his Big Bad Blues CD, the trio started off with a bang and Muddy Waters’ “Rollin’ & Tumblin’,” cranking the tune up and using one of the gadgets that made the group different: bass lines without a bassist. Instead, an electronic add-on to a guitar drops the last two strings an octave so guitarists can swap in and out of register. Neat trick, and effective when you’re blessed with two accomplished guitarists like Gibbons and Austin Hanks. Bassists, take note: almost 80 years ago Bucky Pizzarelli added a string to his guitar to eliminate your job, and now modern electronics is after you again.
The sometime—and very welcome—sideman Elwood Francis, who doubled as guitar tech, stepped in to provide terrific harmonica on another tune from the album, “Missin’ Yo Kissin’” (written by Gibbons’ wife, Gilligan Stillwater). Happily, Francis showed up to contribute to several tunes, notably “Just Got Paid,” Gibbons’ ZZ Top hit from 1972, and one of the highlights of the show.
Gibbons displayed his What-The-Hell personality several times, once bending down to let front-row attendees play his guitar, and sipping drinks from nearby tables. He told a story about once being presented with a Les Paul guitar just prior to a show, and, as a prank, someone had glued the pegs so it couldn’t be tuned. Monitors offstage played what looked like ’50s and ’60s videos of fast cars, bikini-clad sunbathers and provocative dancing women, which, in these #MeToo days, provided a mildly porno, albeit PG-rated feel.
A few highlights of the show did not come from the new album. Gibbons announced, “I’ve got a whole lot of favorites, but one stands out. Gotta do it,” and they launched into ZZ Top’s “Sharp Dressed Man” with gusto, letting the enthusiastic audience sing the chorus pretty much every time. The last song of the encore, another ZZ Top hit, “La Grange,” also hit the sweet spot.
On a side note, kudos to Iridium manager Grace Blake, who manages to shoehorn high-profile patrons into an intimate club without ruffling delicate feathers or exceeding its legal capacity. I just hope she’s in charge for The Rapture—we’ll all get to Heaven.
—Suzanne Cadgène
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