ZZ Top and Jeff Beck will kick off their summer tour August 8 — and you can check out all the dates below.
The tour is formatted to offer a free-standing set from Beck, a free-standing set from ZZ Top and a joint performance where Beck joins ZZ Top for the finale.
On the heels of releasing Live at Montreux 2013 DVD/Blu-ray and The Baddest of ZZ Top CD/2CD retrospective, “that little ol’ band from Texas” will be cranking out classics such as “Sharp Dressed Man,” “Legs” and “Tush.” The lineup of Billy Gibbons, Dusty Hill and Frank Beard has been holding steady for more than 44 years.
Beck’s touring band will consist of Flash-era vocalist Jimmy Hall (Wet Willie), bassist Rhonda Smith, drummer Jonathan Joseph and guitarist Nicolas Meier.
Texas guitar prodigy Tyler Bryant had recently been announced as the opening act for the vast majority of the tour dates. Bryant already has experience as an opener for Beck and also has cut his teeth on bills with Aerosmith, Lynyrd Skynyrd, B.B. King, Heart, Vince Gill and others.
While ZZ Top and Beck have never toured together, this isn't the first live collaboration between the two camps. Gibbons joined Beck and his band on stage at the 25th anniversary celebration of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2009 at Madison Square Garden, where they performed Jimi Hendrix’s “Foxey Lady” and ZZ Top’s hit “Rough Boy.” The following year, Beck joined ZZ Top in Lucca, Italy, for an extended rendition of “La Grange.”
“Ever since experiencing ‘Jeff’s Boogie,’ the prospect of performance with Jeff Beck on the deck brings us into focus with the curator of crunch,” Gibbons said. “We could never figure out what Beck was doing on his instrument to get those sounds, and it was that mystery that inspired us to push our own sound to the next level. It is an honor to be sharing the stage with the curator of crunch.”
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Beck added: “Ever since Eliminator, I thought it would be great to play with ZZ Top.” He went on to call Gibbons “the Professor of Grunge.”
2014 Jeff Beck with ZZ Top Tour:
August 8 Ogren Park Missoula, MT
August 9 Chateau Ste. Michelle Woodinville, WA
August 10 Cuthbert Amphitheatre Eugene, OR
August 12 The Mountain Winery Saratoga, CA
August 13 Greek Amphitheatre Los Angeles, CA
August 15 Ironstone Amphitheatre Murphys, CA
August 16 The Joint Las Vegas, NV
August 17 AVA Amphitheatre Tucson, AZ
August 19 Sandia Casino Albuquerque, NM
August 20 Fiddlers Green Amphitheatre Englewood, CO
August 22 Zoo Amphitheatre Oklahoma City, OK
August 23 Starlight Theater Kansas City, MO
August 24 Verizon Wireless Amphitheater Maryland Heights, MO
August 27 DTE Energy Music Theatre Clarkston, MI
August 28 Ravinia Festival Highland Park, IL
August 29 Seneca Allegany Casino Salamanca, NY
August 30 Concert Venue @Harrah’s Atlantic City, NJ
August 31 MGM Grand Theater @ Foxwoods Mashantucket, CT
September 2 Blue Hills Bank Pavilion Boston, MA
September 3 Merriweather Post Pavilion Columbia, MD *
September 4 Nikon @ Jones Beach Theater Wantagh, NY
September 6 Verizon Wireless Amphitheater Alpharetta, GA
September 7 St. Augustine Amphitheater St. Augustine, FL
September 9 Cruzan Amphitheater West Palm Beach, FL
September 10 Midflorida Credit Union Amphitheater Tampa, FL
September 12 Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion The Woodlands, TX
September 13 Winstar Casino Thackerville, OK **
*Tyler Bryant and Gary Clark Jr. open **ZZ Top and Jeff Beck only
Damian is Editor-in-Chief of Guitar World magazine. In past lives, he was GW’s managing editor and online managing editor. He's written liner notes for major-label releases, including Stevie Ray Vaughan's 'The Complete Epic Recordings Collection' (Sony Legacy) and has interviewed everyone from Yngwie Malmsteen to Kevin Bacon (with a few memorable Eric Clapton chats thrown into the mix). Damian, a former member of Brooklyn's The Gas House Gorillas, was the sole guitarist in Mister Neutron, a trio that toured the U.S. and released three albums. He now plays in two NYC-area bands.
