ZZ Top & The Annie Dukes, King Center, Melbourne, FL 06.03.24
Seeing ZZ Top (10) has always been elusive, as even back in high school when they came though Long Island playing Nassau Coliseum with a brand-new band called The Black Crowes opening, I had to sell my tickets due to an invite to a Sweet Sixteen party that my then girlfriend was not going to take no for an answer to go to. But alas, finally in 2024 I get to see that little ol’ band from Texas, albeit without Dusty, which is extremely regrettable, but still amongst the bands on my list that I had never experienced live before.
The King Center is holds about 2000 and I would say we were at about 95% capacity, with 95% of those in attendance clocking in at about 65 years old; it is always amazing that I can still be one of the youngest at a concert, but hey the ZZ Top debut record came out in 1971. I did have a nice retired lady sitting next to me ask me if I enjoyed it because the band “was before my time” so that was fun, but back to the show itself.
The opener was a local Jacksonville band that made the two hour trip south, The Annie Dukes (7), who describe themselves as a cross between Black Sabbath and Fleetwood Mac, which may have been written just for me. The mostly female band played a fun and energetic six song set, highlighted by the guitar shredding and the powerful voice of the lead singer/bassist. Shirt purchased and EP bought from Bandcamp, thank you very much. I really enjoyed their set and look forward to hearing more from the band in the neat future.
Onto the headliners who came out to a loud ovation from the Melbourne faithful, diving right into the killer Got Me Under Pressure from Eliminator. Billy looks and sounds great and his new partner Elwood Francis fits in perfectly with his look, playing, and he’s got all the moves down. I was worried about Frank a bit, as he looked tired right off the bat, and I could not help but worry about him after he had his smoke during the break before the encore. My main impression I left with from the show is how awesome Billy Gibbons is on guitar. I mean I knew, but watching him in action is a whole other ballgame. Watching him shred on songs like Pearl Necklace, Jesus Just Left Chicago, and Brown Sugar is like seeing a deity in real life and up close. He doesn’t talk much in between songs but when he does it leaves you laughing every time.
The King Center is holds about 2000 and I would say we were at about 95% capacity, with 95% of those in attendance clocking in at about 65 years old; it is always amazing that I can still be one of the youngest at a concert, but hey the ZZ Top debut record came out in 1971. I did have a nice retired lady sitting next to me ask me if I enjoyed it because the band “was before my time” so that was fun, but back to the show itself.
The opener was a local Jacksonville band that made the two hour trip south, The Annie Dukes (7), who describe themselves as a cross between Black Sabbath and Fleetwood Mac, which may have been written just for me. The mostly female band played a fun and energetic six song set, highlighted by the guitar shredding and the powerful voice of the lead singer/bassist. Shirt purchased and EP bought from Bandcamp, thank you very much. I really enjoyed their set and look forward to hearing more from the band in the neat future.
Onto the headliners who came out to a loud ovation from the Melbourne faithful, diving right into the killer Got Me Under Pressure from Eliminator. Billy looks and sounds great and his new partner Elwood Francis fits in perfectly with his look, playing, and he’s got all the moves down. I was worried about Frank a bit, as he looked tired right off the bat, and I could not help but worry about him after he had his smoke during the break before the encore. My main impression I left with from the show is how awesome Billy Gibbons is on guitar. I mean I knew, but watching him in action is a whole other ballgame. Watching him shred on songs like Pearl Necklace, Jesus Just Left Chicago, and Brown Sugar is like seeing a deity in real life and up close. He doesn’t talk much in between songs but when he does it leaves you laughing every time.
Of course we got the hits: Legs, Sharped Dressed Man, La Grange (the closer) and Gimme All Your Lovin’, which really got the ladies of a certain age from Melbourne going, with various sections with a few rebels standing up and giving what they got. At one point, it was a bit hard to make out, but I believe Billy brought out a guitar owned by Jeff Beck, a good friend of his, and played Sixteen Tons, dedicated to his late mate. The highlight for me was I’m Bad, I’m Nationwide, which is one of my favourites, and they played it to perfection. I loved the gigantic 18 (I think) string bass that Francis played on the opener and the trademarked plush guitars sported during Legs. Just Got Paid was another crowd (and reviewer) favourite and highlight of the 16-song set. The show was pretty short, as the boys only played for about 75 minutes, but it certainly was a quality 75.
Overall, seeing ZZ Top matched or maybe slightly exceeded my expectations. The setlist was great, the crowd was into it big time (maybe too into it as I had a drunk lady flip over the seats next to me during the opener, rookie), the band was super tight, and of course Billy was Billy, which is really all you could ask for. If you have a chance to see them do not miss it, before it is too late.
Overall, seeing ZZ Top matched or maybe slightly exceeded my expectations. The setlist was great, the crowd was into it big time (maybe too into it as I had a drunk lady flip over the seats next to me during the opener, rookie), the band was super tight, and of course Billy was Billy, which is really all you could ask for. If you have a chance to see them do not miss it, before it is too late.