Change is inevitable, yet the ethos behind ZZ Top’s unimpeachable career hasn’t budged in 55 years. The Houston trio, whose blues-based guitar rock unexpectedly took MTV by storm in the ‘80s with cheeky videos brimming with big ol’ beards, a cherry red ‘33 Ford coupe driven by a gaggle of beautiful women and fuzz-covered guitars, still believes in the simplicity of their mission: “ZZ Top is about having a good time.” At 74, founding member Billy Gibbons sees the spell cast on tour when his guitar revs up on 1973’s “La Grange” or he hands off the punchline of “Sharp Dressed Man” from 1983’s “Eliminator” album to the multigenerational crowd to sing in unison.
“It’s really a treat to maintain this enthusiasm and it’s front and center each night,” Gibbons says over the phone from San Diego on Halloween — the one day of the year he admits he can maneuver in public relatively unnoticed despite his trademark “chin whiskers” and Bamileke beanie. “We played (California’s) The Grove last night and lo and behold strolling through the front aisle was a proud pappa holding his youngster with a set of earphones on — both grinning from ear to ear. It was pretty rewarding,” the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer says.
This response keeps him braving the “rigors of the road” for most of the year with ZZ Top, which headlines the Hard Rock Casino in Gary, Indiana, on Nov. 15, and his solo outfit, the BFGs. It’s also why Gibbons and drummer Frank .
