Classic rock trio returns to Alabama, ready to play beloved ‘party anthems’

ZZ Top has added some dates to its 2025 “Elevation” tour, including a show in Alabama.

The classic rock band — known for catchy singles such as “Tush,” “Sharp Dressed Man,” “Tube Snake Boogie,” “Legs” and more — is scheduled to perform on Sept. 7 at the Mercedes-Benz Amphitheater, 2710 Jack Warner Parkway in Tuscaloosa. Black Stone Cherry is set to open the 7 p.m. show.

Tickets go on sale Friday, April 25, at 10 a.m. CT via Ticketmaster, after a round of pre-sales. Prices haven’t been announced. Pre-sales start on Wednesday, April 23, at 10 a.m. CT and end on Thursday, April 24 at 10 p.m. CT, according to the Ticketmaster listing.

ZZ Top, a hard-driving trio from Houston, was founded in 1969. The band made its fame with a signature sound that combines boogie, blues and rock music. Frontman Billy Gibbons, an iconic singer and guitarist, has been with ZZ Top from the get-go, along with drummer Frank Beard.

Gibbons, 75, will be on stage at the show in Tuscaloosa, but it’s unclear if Beard will perform that evening. ZZ Top’s management announced in March that Beard, 75, was taking a leave of absence from the “Elevation” tour because of an unspecified health issue. John Douglas, a drummer and member of the band’s tech crew, is filling in for Beard during his absence.

ZZ Top’s touring ensemble also includes bassist Elwood Francis. He replaced another member of the core trio, Dusty Hill, who died in 2021 after more than 50 years with the group.

Billy Gibbons performed with ZZ Top on Sunday, Aug. 11, 2024, at Musikfest in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Donna Fisher | lehighvalleylive.com contributor

ZZ Top has 15 studio albums to its credit, 1971-present, and a history of platinum or multi-platinum records such as “Eliminator” (1983), “Afterburner” (1985), “Recycler” (1990) and “Antenna” (1994).

The band’s hits and signature songs include “Gimme All Your Lovin’,” “Sleeping Bag,” “Cheap Sunglasses,” “La Grange,” “Rough Boy” and “Velcro Fly.” ZZ Top’s irreverent music videos were in heavy rotation on MTV during the ’80s, giving the trio a strong foothold in pop culture.

(Watch ZZ Top’s 1984 video for “Legs” below. It won an MTV Video Music Award that year for Best Group Video.)

ZZ Top was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2004, with Keith Richards doing the honors at the ceremony. Richards praised the band for its consistency and longevity, and said, “These cats are steeped in the blues.”

(Watch Richards’ induction speech in the video below.)

“The rough and gruff Texan band had a reverence for their roots, but never took themselves too seriously,” the Rock Hall website says. “ZZ Top charmed millions with their party anthems and brash music videos. Their mammoth tours solidified a nationwide following and featured everything from Texas-shaped stages to live rattlesnakes.”

ZZ Top has a history of performances in Alabama, most recently playing three March shows in the state — in Mobile, Montgomery and Dothan. Over the years, the band also has appeared at venues such as Oak Mountain Amphitheatre in Pelham, the Von Braun Center in Huntsville and Boutwell Auditorium in Birmingham.

ZZ Top’s agenda for 2025 includes spring concerts in Australia and New Zealand, followed by summer and fall shows in Canada and the United States. (See the band’s full tour schedule here.)