ZZ Top performed at the Luhrs Performing Arts Center on Oct. 7 as part of their Raw Whisky Tour, which has been running since April and wraps up in December.
They had an incredible show, with 72-year-old vocalist/guitarist Billy Gibbons putting on a very solid, energetic performance. He was joined by long-time drummer Frank Beard and vocalist/bassist Elwood Francis, who took over last year after long-time bassist Dusty Hill passed away. Francis was a guitar tech for the band for over 30 years. He was a perfect fit, even sporting his own long beard.
The show began with an opening set from The Sedonas, a southern rock group based out of Knoxville, Tennessee. About half of the set was unreleased material, likely to appear on their upcoming album, “The ’79 Session,” releasing in December. They played for about 45 minutes and had a good performance, especially considering it was their first time opening for ZZ Top.
ZZ Top took the stage at about 8:30, starting their performance with a bang by opening with “Got Me Under Pressure,” making sure to get the crowd energized right away. They continued to tear through their hits, including “Gimme All Your Lovin,” “Pearl Necklace” and “I’m Bad, I’m Nationwide.”
After this sequence, Gibbons talked to the crowd about how ZZ Top has been touring for five decades, and then he grabbed a sign from a young fan in the front row. He read off the sign, which was a completed checklist of “First Concert,” “First Row” and “First time seeing ZZ Top.” This led to a large burst of applause from the crowd along with Gibbons giving the fan and their sibling a pair of guitar picks he used, which was a heartwarming moment for everyone.
They then continued with their set, including a cover of Merle Travis’ “Sixteen Tons” to add a hint of blues to the show. They finished off their initial set with a great back-to-back performance of “Sharp Dressed Man” and “Legs,” swapping out their guitars in between for fuzzy, all-white guitars for the final song. They then came back on stage about five minutes later for a three-song encore, featuring “Brown Sugar” and “Tube Snake Boogie” before closing the show with “La Grange.”
ZZ Top absolutely crushed their performance in Shippensburg. It was the same exact setlist they had been playing for the entire tour, so they were clearly comfortable with their flow. They kept the audience entertained for the entire 16-song performance and pulled out a few surprises with the guitar pick handouts and the guitar switches. It’s just impressive to see a trio of artists in their 70s putting on a powerful show like they did, and they made sure to tell the audience they don’t plan on stopping anytime soon.
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