Dress sharp and wear your cheap sunglasses

As a band, ZZ Top is about 35 years old. But if you happen to catch the band’s upcoming Spokane show – tonight at Riverfront Park’s Lilac Bowl – the guys probably will look just like you remember them: about 80 years old.

Behold the power of the rock ‘n’ roll beard.

Since the ‘60s, rock stars have sported some wicked whiskers – The Doors’ Jim Morrison “L.A. Woman”-era, The Beatles’ John Lennon circa “Abbey Road,” and Ted Nugent’s “Great Gonzos!” growth. But no band has done the rock beard better than ZZ Top.

For four decades, the band’s image has been defined by the pointy, Old Testament-style neckwarmers of guitarist Billy Gibbons and bassist Dusty Hill. Forget the claim that ZZ Top is nothing but your average three-chord bar band. This Texas blues-rock trio has mustered enough strength to outlast nearly all of its ‘70s rock contemporaries. All it took was a little humor, lots of facial hair and about five chords.

ZZ Top formed from rival Texas blues bands in 1970 and released six albums of rootsy blues-based guitar rock during the decade. Highlighted by songs such as “La Grange” and “Cheap Sunglasses,” each exhibited the band’s knack for taking a simple, traditional blues riff and turning it into a palatable mainstream hook.

Of course, now it was the ‘80s, which was about looks as much as it was hooks. ZZ Top obviously knew that – which is why the three started sporting golf hats, boiler suits and two of the longest beards this side of Genesis. Oh yeah, and drummer Frank Beard didn’t have a beard; he had a moustache.

It worked, 1983’s “Eliminator” and 1985’s “Afterburner” were huge hits. In two years, the band went from a mildly successful rock band to an international music icon.

And in a lot of ways, it still works to this day. ZZ Top is not the best band on the planet, but the guys are still pretty fun. Heck, any band that’s kept the gig up for 35 years, somehow looking 80 years old the entire time, has to be.