Grayer, But Still On Top Zz Top Brings Familiar Blues-Rock To Arena

Think of ZZ Top and three things come to mind: long beards, dark sunglasses and a crunchy blues-rock that has lasted nearly three decades.

Although their trademark beards have gone gray with the years, little about this Texas trio’s music has changed.

At times they’ve been a little more blues. At times they’ve been a little more rock. But always, theirs is a sound that has remained distinctly ZZ Top.

“We can only play the way we play,” says bassist Dusty Hill. “If we played ‘White Christmas’ on a record, you would probably be able to go, ‘That’s ZZ Top.’ “

ZZ Top will bring their distinct sound to the Spokane Arena Sunday as part of the final leg of the “Mean Rhythm Global Tour.”

The tour kicked off overseas last year. The band played 35 shows in 16 countries, including first-ever shows in Russia, Poland, Latvia and Estonia. They ended that leg with six sold-out shows in Johannesburg and Cape Town on what was their first visit to Africa.

It will also be their second time through our region this year. They performed at The Gorge in May.

ZZ Top formed in 1969 with Billy Gibbons on guitar, Frank Beard (the one without the long beard) on drums and Dusty Hill on bass.

Although they were an enormous concert attraction in the mid-‘70s, it was the mid-‘80s that found them at the peak of their commercial success.

With 1983’s “Eliminator,” the trio became both radio and video stars with songs like “Sharp Dressed Man” and “Legs.”

The videos to those songs immortalized ZZ Top’s penchant for leggy women, hot rods and sexual innuendo - a theme they followed up with 1985’s “Afterburner” album, which contained hits like “Velcro Fly” and “Sleeping Bag.”

Film director Robert Rodriquez planted the seed for their latest and 12th studio album, “Rhythmeen,” when he asked the band to come up with a few songs for the soundtrack to his vampire killer-thriller, “From Dusk Til Dawn.”

Forced to meet certain deadlines for the movie, ZZ Top had to forgo some of the synthy glossing they’d done in the ‘80s.

“It got us thinking, do we really need to do so much smoothing and polishing these days?” Billy says.

The answer, apparently, was no.

“‘Rhythmeen’ is intended as a cry from long-standing ZZ fans that they wanted it all the original way,” Gibbons says.

ZZ Top will be joined Sunday by another rock icon from the ‘80s - Loverboy.

Formed in Canada in the late 1970s, Loverboy’s 1980 self-titled debut album spawned hits “Turn Me Loose” and “The Kid is Hot.”

Their 1981 follow-up, “Get Lucky,” forked out hit singles “Working for the Weekend” and “When It’s Over.”

After years of touring and recording, Loverboy split ways in 1989. In 1993 they got back together and headed out on the road again.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Color Photo

MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: CONCERT ZZ Top performs Sunday at the Spokane Arena. Loverboy opens the 7:30 p.m. show. Tickets are $25, available at G&B outlets. (800) 325-SEAT.