ZZ TOP Live (October 7th 1990)

 

Crazy to think that as the years pass by so do some  fine musicians who as fans we have been able to have seen live in concert. Dusty Hill may have passed on but he’s certainly not forgotten!

Oct 7th 1990/ZZ TOP-COLIN JAMES- Winnipeg Arena

Me and my best friend TBone were pumped about seeing the two long beards and the moustache  guy from Texas.

I mean rewind seven years prior and Eliminator was all over print media as  the vids were all over tv and that continued right into ’85s Afterburner which too me was sides 3&4 to Eliminator!

So after a few yrs away here comes 1990 as well here comes ZZ Top along with  dEke And TBone to rock the show with the Texas Trio.

ZZ Top was plugging their latest opus “Recycler” except it wasn’t gonna be released  until after the tour started. Recycler hit the Record Shops on Oct. 16th ’90.

The “Recycler Word Tour” started October 2 ’90 in Vancouver and the show we were catching was the fifth show of the tour in the ‘Peg.   Gibbons, Hill and Beard were a serious concert draw as all seven shows of the Canadian Tour were sold out and in arenas. (10,000 plus at each show)

Colin James (the opener) is flying high on the Canuck charts on his current  “Sudden Stop” release. Colin puts on a good show plays the hits including Tbone’s favourite “Voodoo Thing” along with his current big hit “Just Came Back”.

Once Colin wrapped up his well received set from there it’s the waiting game until ZZ hits the stage.

I mean what kind of stage is behind that curtain that stretches across and around the stage? Props? Recycled Legs?? Or just a amps,drums and a light show?….well as it turns out..

The lights went out in the Winnipeg Arena and it’s  pitch black (cue Rock Move 101) and you see two headlights appear in front of the drums with the whole stage draped with a black curtain.

A chain link fence image appears on the curtain,the sound of a car revving and the revving gets louder and along with the motor getting louder you can hear the sounds of a woman getting louder(if u know what I mean) and then bam..curtain drops.

Below is the full show from T.O, four days after  we caught em in Winnipeg. The sound and picture is clear. If anything watch the first 5 minutes including  the conveyer belt! Better yet watch the whole dang thing!

There’s ZZ and they plow right into “Planet Of Women”. I tell ya man that  is one of the best intros I have seen any band take to a stage ever!

Beards drums were on the back of a flatbed and it was like they were playing In a recycled junkyard complete with TV screens and flashing women.

Such a cool setup especially not knowing beforehand what we were going to see.

Billy Gibbons live with that guitar tone was awesome. There are certain guitar players you need to hear in a live setting like of course EVH (if you had the chance), Alex Lifeson, Joe Perry, Slash,  David Gilmour, and of course Rev. Gibbons who has a sound n style all his own.

This was a great show. Glad I caught ’em when they were still doing the arenas.

Setlist: Planet of Women/ Sleeping Bag/ Tell It/ Waitin for the Bus/ Jesus Just Left Chicago/ Ten Foot Pole/ Gimme All Your Lovin /Concrete & Steel/ Manic Mechanic/ Heard It On The X /2000 Blues/ Blue Jean Blues /Just Got Paid /Lovething/ Got Me Under Pressure/ Techno-industrial instrumental/ Sharp Dressed Man/ Give It Up/ Legs/ Tube Snake Boogie/ Jailhouse Rock/ La Grange/ Tush

On a side note I was really surprised ZZ were not playing the stellar track “Double Back” which of course was in the Back To The Future movie. Such a killer chorus. As much as I wanted to hear it I was glad that they did put “Double Back” as the last track on Recycler album so I have to cut Dusty, Frank and Billy some slack on that.

Come to think of it I think I had “Double Back” on a cassette single!!