Tone Farmer Joe Austin recently had the good fortune of catching that 'Little 'Ol Band From Texas live at a standing room only Grand Forks tilt. And not in some boomy, over-sized machine shed, mind you - - but at the acoustically delicious Chester Fritz Auditorium!! My oh my, those tones must've been sweeter n' a heapin' helpin' of smoky, down-home BBQ!! Joe was kind enough to pen a review for us, and it goes sumthin' like this . . . On Saturday, October 18th, the Chester Fritz Auditorium on the UND Campus had the distinct privilege of having the legendary rock band ZZ TOP entertain the good folks of Grand Forks! When I heard that the Fritz would be the select venue (ZZ TOP is playing smaller, more intimate venue to give the fans an "in your face" feel!) for this concert, I began telling people that they were in for a treat. I also enthusiastically reminded them that a band the caliber of ZZ TOP could easily chose to play the Ralph Englestad Arena, The Alerus, or even the Fargodome. Yet, they graciously chose the 2,000 seat Chester Fritz Auditorium. And for that, we, and especially the town of GF should be extremely grateful!
The show started at 8:00 with an Atlanta Ga band, Blackberry Smoke opening. Out of all the opening acts I have recently seen, this one is one the better ones. A simple four piece band, Blackberry Smoke played a well-received 45 minute set that showcased their unique sound blending several classic rock and country rock bands such as the Black Crowes and Lynyrd Skynyrd, yet forging a style all their own. My favorite part of the set was watching guitarist Paul Jackson play some sweet looking and sounding Les Pauls. In fact, as I watched him closely, I swear he looked more and more like a young Gary Rossington.
After a brief intermission, ZZ TOP took the stage to thundering and deafening applause. The tres Hombres got in their positions and proceeded to rip into "Got Me Under Pressure", followed by "Waiting For the Bus" and "Jesus Just Left Chicago". After this three song opening, Guitarist Billy Gibbons address the crowd telling them how glad they were to be in North Dakota and this tour was designed to be more in your face for them. He also mentioned that they would be playing more bluesier, obscured tunes than the ones that got lots of MTV airplay. They didn't disappoint. Several great album tracks were performed such as "Goin' Down to Mexico" from 1971's First Album, "Just Got Paid" from 1972's Rio Grand Mud, and a great version of "Hey Joe" by the one and only Jimi Hendrix. This part of the show, by far, was my favorite. I've always preferred the material where it's just the power trio w/o the synthesizers and Billy Gibbons can just get down and dirty with his guitar work. Which also explains why I prefer the 1977 release of "The Best of ZZ Top" versus 1992's "Greatest Hits.
Of course, ZZ Top did it's best to please everybody and played their most popular hits towards the middle and end of the set including "Cheap Sunglasses" and the Eliminator trilogy "Gimme All Your Lovin", "Sharp Dressed Man", and "Legs". By this time the crowd was really on it's feet and wanted more. ZZ Top obliged and delivered ass-kicking versions of La Grange and Tush for their encore.
Bottom line, ZZ Top delivered the goods. And I would highly recommend all fans of good quality blues drenched, classic rock, and in your face music to go see ZZ TOP when they come to a small venue near your town. It's not every day, that bands like these decide to go the smaller route. So when they do, be sure to get off your butt and go see them. You'll be glad you did! - - by Joe Austin
Also - be sure to visit the following websites for more band-related information:
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