Zz Top Tickets

There is a rugged attractiveness about the men in boiler suits with waist-long beards tucked into their belts. And it arises from their swirling boogie rock anthems, grunge-inspired provocative content and sexy videos. ZZ Top incorporates many influences in a sound that is distinctly Southern in nature. The band nicknamed "That Little Ol' Band from Texas" has been active since 1969, when their hard-hitting heavy blues took the music industry by storm.

ZZ Top garnered a fantastic reputation for selling out major arenas quicker than most leading pop acts. The band's lineup has been constant for over four decades, a distinct rarity in a landscape of constant flux. Billy Gibbons (vocals, guitar), Dusty Hill (bass, keyboards, vocals) and drummer Frank Beard (ironically the only member without a beard) complete the power-packed lineup. ZZ Top cemented its legendary status with a string of earth-shattering synth heavy albums in the 80s, and has collected 50 million album sales so far. ZZ Top Tickets are not for the faint hearted as the band rock the nation in their latest tour.

ZZ Top's roots lie in Texan southern rock influences. Blues is a major genre and even the name, suggested by Billy Gibbons, was inspired by legendary blues artists B.B. King and Z.Z. Hill on a couple of posters. Perhaps their most recognizable songs involve boogie rock, a variation of hard heavy rock with chugging back beats and prominent grooves. ZZ Top's origins are derived from ?Moving Sidewalks', a band formed by Gibbons in 1967. The band's original bassist and organist were drafted into the US Army and drummer Dan Mitchell was joined by bassist Billy Ethridge. Meanwhile, the Dallas-Forth Worth Area was seeing the rise of American Blues, a psychedelic rock band headed by Frank Beard and Dusty Hill. Moving to Houston in 1968, they met Gibbons and he subsequently dropped Ethridge and Mitchell to make way for them.

The trio, named ZZ Top, secured a London Records deal with the assistance of manager Bill Ham, and released ZZ Top's First Album in 1969. Laden with sexual innuendo, snarling guitars, and deep rhythms, it served as the perfect introduction. In a matter of months they were opening concerts for acts like Janis Joplin and the Rolling Stones. By the early 70s, ZZ Top's mainstream popularity began to gain momentum, with concert attendances shattering records and successful albums coming out. Exhausted from their 1977 worldwide Texas Tour, ZZ Top took an originally planned 90-day break, but it got extended to almost two years as Hill went to Mexico, Gibbons Europe and Beard Jamaica.

Coming back with Warner Bros Records, ZZ Top warmed up with a few albums before introducing a pop-influenced sound. The new musical direction saw increased use of synthesizers, drum machines, and sequencers, while visibility was increased with elaborate concept videos. The new style was a smash hit in the 80s, as they ran riot over the industry. By 1994, they had signed to RCA Records and the new material never caught the imagination like before. They are currently working on their 15th studio album.

ZZ Top's second album spawned their signature concert songs "Francine" and "Just Got Paid", but it was their next offering Tres Hombres that broke in at #8. It gave "La Grange" (#41), a certified modern classic about a bordello. 1975's Fandango! matched its predecessor's Gold certification, reaching #10 on the basis of the success of "Tush" (#20). After their hiatus, ZZ Top released Deguello (Platinum) and El Loco (Gold) but major success came the way of 1983's Eliminator (#9). Certified Diamond in US and Canada, it spawned the VMA award-winning videos of "Legs" (#8) and "Sharp Dressed Man" (#56). #4 Afterburner got 5xPlatinum certification and produced "Sleeping Bag" (#8) and another award-winning video of "Rough Boy" (#22). Recycler and Antenna also went Platinum. They reached the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame in 2004.ZZ Top's charged concerts saw them overshadow huge stars in their early years, regularly drawing 100,000 attendees with ZZ Top Tickets. They have conducted 25 tours, including 1976's famous Worldwide Texas Tour with a Texas-shaped stage and livestock and plant props. Pittsburgh, Bushkill, and Mashantucket come next for the serial rockers.

The artistic brilliance of Gibbons is at the core of ZZ Top's golden reputation. The band has stuck to its Texan roots and managed to produce hair-raising guitar sequences in addition to expressive videos in their heyday. Fans with ZZ Top Tickets will be looking for more of that unmatchable shock value.