Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, June 16, 1994 TAG: 9406170213
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By MARK MORRISON STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
First: the spectacle.
As spectacle, the ZZ Top show delivered.
The stage set was an odd hybrid between an oversized car dashboard and an electrical power station, complete with simulated 765-kv power lines that glowed and buzzed and sparked on cue.
The power station also spit out lasers, ZZ's twin bearded ones. Billy Gibbons and Dusty Hill walked comically on moving sidewalks, and at one point they disappeared into an exploding high-voltage transformer box.
As concerts in Roanoke go, it was about as big a rock show spectacle as ever comes to town.
Second: the "dancers."
Adding to the effect were the six - count 'em, six - burlesque dancers who joined the festivities periodically throughout the more than two-hour show. Call them the ZZ girls.
The question is: Did they cross the limits of good taste?
Probably.
But that was probably the point.
Their dancing was more striptease without the stripping, although they didn't really need to bother since they barely had any clothes on to begin with.
"Ain't nothing wrong with that," remarked Gibbons to the audience of 11,000.
Maybe. Maybe not.
Objectors might call the whole provocative shtick degrading. Others probably just drooled. Either way, the concert should have come with an NC-17 rating.
Third: the music.
Although the ZZ girls and the sparking, buzzing set provided distractions, neither overshadowed the band's relentless power blues music.
Gibbons, bassist Hill and drummer Frank Beard were as rock-solid as ever, particularly on the older, classic and best ZZ Top songs, "Waitin' For The Bus/Jesus Just Left Chicago," "I'm Bad, I'm Nationwide," "Cheap Sunglasses" and "La Grange."
The newer material just didn't hold up as well, sounding too much alike, too monotonous, and it bordered on boring when several newer songs were played back to back.
The only stand-out exception was the band's third song of the night, "Helpless."
The group encored with "Sharp Dressed Man," a cover of Elvis Presley's "Viva Las Vegas" and its signature, "Tush."
George Thorogood and the Destroyers opened Tuesday's show.
Even though Thorogood seemed like he was just going through the paces as an opener, he was still a crowd-pleaser. He was an especially fitting opener for ZZ Top. Both share the same coy, bad-boy playfulness.
Thorogood turned in a nine-song set of his distinctive brand of revved-up blues and Chuck Berry-style rock 'n' roll.
He has dropped the two-guitar format he has used in concert in recent years. Tuesday, he was the only guitarist, and his sound didn't suffer since his playing has always been the real focal point anyway.
He showcased his guitar prowess best on a slow blues number, "The Sky Is Crying." Another highlight was John Lee Hooker's "One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer," in which he added a don't-drink-and-drive message to what is otherwise a hard-drinking anthem.
But in the end, Thorogood was booed for his seeming lack of interest, after he hurried off stage and didn't come back for an encore despite much prodding from the audience.
by CNB