by As we passed a billboard advertising an upcoming ZZ Top and Lynyrd Skynyrd show, Doug said “Look!” in a way that made me think he might be interested in seeing these bands that I’d never heard him listen to before.
I told him that I had seen it on an events calendar for Memphis (even though the stadium is actually in Mississippi), but didn’t think he’d be interested. He said they were two iconic rock bands who we’ll probably never have a chance to see again, given that both bands have been around for more than five decades. I can’t argue with that.
ZZ Top formed in 1969, and for their first 51 years consisted of vocalist-guitarist Billy Gibbons, drummer Frank Beard, and bassist-vocalist Dusty Hill. Hill passed away in 2021, but not before making it clear that he wanted his long-term guitar tech Elwood Francis to take over for him in the band.
Hill and Gibbons were famed for their matching looks – outfits, long beards, sunglasses – and this tour was no exception, with Francis stepping up to the plate with his beard. Drummer Frank Beard went for the opposite look, with no beard, no sunglasses, and jeans and a t-shirt. He rather looked like he had rolled out of bed.
Though Francis is 61 and Beard and Gibbons are both 74, they rocked their performance with ease. They totally made it seem effortless, and they sounded really great. I had not realized how many hits they had over the years, as I recognized a good chunk of their set, including such songs as “La Grange”, “Gimme All Your Lovin'”, “Legs”, and, of course, “Sharp Dressed Man”.
Lynyrd Skynyrd also came into being in 1969, and came to epitomize the Southern rock genre with giants such as “Sweet Home Alabama”, “Free Bird”, and “Simple Man.” The band came screeching to a halt in 1977 when their airplane crashed (we recently visited the memorial at the crash site), killing lead singer Ronnie Van Zant and guitarist Steve Gaines, along with a backup singer, Cassie Gaines. The rest of the band were seriously injured.
Ten years later the band reformed with Ronnie’s bother Johnny Van Zant replacing him on vocals – and sounding eerily similar. Over the years, every founding member of the band has died, leaving you to wonder at what point is this not actually Lynyrd Skynyrd but a really excellent Skynyrd cover band.
The band sounded great and played with enthusiasm, but damn, they also seemed old. They also did a lot of chatter that we could have done without. And as we sat through the set, I started to feel that many of their songs sounded similar to one another, and that their lyrics were sophomoric.
It was a fun enough time overall, but their last song stole the show. They ended with an epic version of “Free Bird”, in which Johnny sang the first verse before leaving the stage and letting an old recording of big brother Ronnie seamlessly finish it out.
ZZ Top making “Sharp Dressed Man” look effortless.
Lynyrd Skynyrd playing “Free Bird” along with an old recording of Ronnie belting it out.
The epic ending to “Free Bird”.
