Two Texas Traditions – One great month
The Toadies – December 30th – Billy Bob’s Texas – Fort Worth, TX
Beloved DFW outfit The Toadies annual day before New Year’s Eve shindig at Billy Bob’s now it’s 7th year (& 8th overall appearance) is not only something locals look forward each holiday season, it now officially has it’s own day in the band’s hometown of Fort Worth.
Long time friends of mine, that I still try to see a few times a year still kicking ass. They are so beloved in this town, it’s always a treat to hear the hometown crowd sing back every lyric. I think of their appearances at Billy Bob’s this was my 6th.
This show is always unique as it straddles a very fine line as they are not the normal demographic of Billy Bob’s clientele nor is their audience whom the majority of have probably only seen the inside of this tourist institution thanks to the Toadies.Though it’s not NYE, it definitely has that year end vibe & is always the last show of the year (at least these last 7 years) for the band so their’s this kinda mean “fuck it” vibe that’s endlessly enjoyable.
Setlist:
Backslider
Little Sin
Polly Jean
I Come From the Water
Push the Hand
Rattler’s Revival
Song I Hate
You Know the Words
Quitter
When I Die
Hell in High Water
Possum Kingdom
You’ll Come Down
In the Belly of a Whale
No Deliverance
Mexican Hairless
Take Me Alive
Tyler
Encore:
I Burn
Away
I Put a Spell on You (Screamin’ Jay Hawkins cover)
Stuff
ZZ Top – December 31st – Choctaw Casino Grand Hall – Durant, OK
But now it IS New Year’s Eve –
Same three guys. Same three chords. That’ s how Billy Gibbons assessed the ZZ Top 50th Anniversary Tour touching down in Durant, OK just across the Texas border for a NYE blowout.
Gibbons was being modest about the trio’s chord simplicity. Truth is, the band treated a crowd of about 6k to a dazzling display of fret work, squeezing all sorts of heavy, blistering blues rock out of an assortment of cool-looking guitars.
His two and only bandmates this past half century, bassist Dusty Hill and drummer Frank Beard, did their parts well, providing a propulsive, vibrant beat to a parade of classic-rock hits, starting with “Got Me Under Pressure,” ZZ Top’s popular Sam and Dave cover “I Thank You” and the traditional pairing of “Waitin’ for the Bus/Jesus Just Left Chicago,” in all its slow-stomping, guitar-screaming glory.
It was best just to accept things as they are, as Gibbons’ voice took on a weathered beauty, like an old painted barn, as ZZ Top kept blasting through guitar-drenched hits like “Gimme All Your Lovin’,” “Pearl Necklace” and a sensational “I’m Bad, I’m Nationwide,” all bluesy, boastful and gritty.
This casino crowd was old enough to sing along with a cover of the old coal mining country ode 16 Tons as the band dusted off the old gem.In another MTV classic, “Legs,” they busted out the fuzzy white guitars. As on other numbers earlier, the duo did a few tandem boogie dance steps.
Gibbons’ vocal grizzle fit the down-and-dirty sound of encore opener “La Grange,” which sounded great, as did follow-up pick “Tush” with Hill customarily on lead vocals. Fans got a second encore with Elvis Presley’s “Jailhouse Rock.” What they didn’t get was a New Year’s Eve countdown or really any acknowledgement of the holiday & impending end of the year & decade. I wonder if when people bought their tickets they knew that?
I bet when asked “What are you doing for NYE?” – they enthusiastically replied “Ringing in the New Year with ZZ Top !” only for the band to completely done by 10pm (which may have been late enough for some of this crowd). Hell, with the right transportation they could have been back in Houston by midnight. Happy New Year!
Setlist:
Got Me Under Pressure
I Thank You (Sam & Dave cover)
Waitin’ for the Bus
Jesus Just Left Chicago
Gimme All Your Lovin’
Pearl Necklace I’m Bad, I’m Nationwide
I Gotsta Get Paid
My Head’s in Mississippi
Sixteen Tons (Merle Travis cover)
Beer Drinkers & Hell Raisers
Just Got Paid
Sharp Dressed Man
Legs
Encore:
La Grange
Tush
Encore 2:
Jailhouse Rock (Elvis Presley cover)
Pics –
Roy Turner
