ZZ Top Camden, NJ 5/18/03 - A Review

[Hardrock69]

I only need two words to start, and then I will elaborate:

THEY SUCK!!!

I hate like hell to say this, as Billy G. was the inspiration for me to buy my first Electric Guitar.

I have seen them on EVERY tour they have done since 1976.

I saw them with Ted Nugent opening at the end of May 2003, and I had the same opinion.

The date in the title of this thread is the date of the show I just was watching on DVD.

They are fucking boring, they are sloppy.

It is one thing to be a little sloppy while acting "cool", but another thing entirely to just fuck up, miss chords, be off time, and generally just fuck shit up on every fucking song.

The only one who consistently sounds ok out of the trio is Frank Beard! And most of the time he looks either a). bored to death, b) He wants to be anyplace other than there, or c) both of the above!

And their vocals suck SHIT! Out of tune, out of time, sometimes acting like they can't even be bothered to sing it right....

Christa Mighty.....fucking Dusty Hill sounds like he is strangling a cat with sandpaper now....

Not only that, if they were any less exciting they would be DEAD!


Wanna understand what I am talking about?

Go get any fucking post-Eliminator album and listen to any track on there. Then compare it to the first 3 songs on FANDANGO!

Back in the 1970s they were an ASS-KICKIN, HELL-RAISING, MOTHERFUCKING SMOKING BAND FROM TEXAS!

Now they are just some half-dead looking, tired sounding old men with grey beards.

GRRRRRRRRRR!!!!


I want to say I can't blame them...they are approaching 60 now...they cannot dish it out like they could when they were young men...

It is too bad...another band bites the dust....

Oh well....we got 35 years out of them, and nobody in the band has died or been replaced. That alone says something for them.

It has to happen to everyone that they get old.

I guess I am just sad that they have let themselves go musically....

But JUST AS WITH CVH, I remember when they would come out on that stage and tear everyone's head CLEAN OFF!!!

[Va Beach VH Fan]

I'd have to concur...

I saw them here with Skynryd a few years back (don't ask my what year, Skynyrd is here every fucking year)....

Boring is quite the apt description....

[Big Troubles]

Never seen them live, but I find their music to be very inspirational and still standing the test of time 30 years later. To me they not only passed the rock and roll test but they fucking aced it.

The performance with Brooks & Dunn was great.
The last time they did Leno was fucking breath-taking.

[Big Troubles]

If CVH reunited today, they'd need a year's worth of timing and rehearsals to get their shit back to prime. Make no mistake about that.

[Hardrock69]

I saw the tour with Skynyrd. It was April of 2000.

I was pissed off that I had to sit through Skynyrd, but a friend of mine was opening (he is lead guitarist for the Screaming Cheetah Wheelies) and I wanted to see him.

That was when I began to realize they just were not kicking ass like they used to.

GOD I hated seeing Skynyrd. If there ever was a band I would be happy with NEVER seeing live, it would be them.

I met Billy G. 2wice in my life. It was a distinct honor both times, and highlights of my rock guitarist life.

But ever since the Eliminator album came out and that fucking MTV Image with the keychains and sunglases was invented, they have had this complete smugness about them..."Yeah, we're BAD!", however, as time has gone on it has become literal!

The 2003 Tour was a demonstration of why they should hang it up.

They are SO bad, they should not waste the fans time trying to convince them how cool they are.

Cool Self-Indulgence does not always translate to a good presentation. A Nation of Rock Musician Cokeheads could tell you that...it is also known as being self-delusional...

I guess even though I am bitching about their demise as a powerhouse band, I have to say I will always respect them. If I judged by performance alone, I would never go see them again.

But I OWE my life as rock musician to those motherfuckers.

So next time they tour, I will most likely go see them. Though I will cut out before the encores, just like I did in May, 2003.

[Big Troubles]

Originally posted by Hardrock69
I saw the tour with Skynyrd. It was April of 2000.

I was pissed off that I had to sit through Skynyrd, but a friend of mine was opening (he is lead guitarist for the Screaming Cheetah Wheelies) and I wanted to see him.

That was when I began to realize they just were not kicking ass like they used to.

GOD I hated seeing Skynyrd. If there ever was a band I would be happy with NEVER seeing live, it would be them.

I met Billy G. 2wice in my life. It was a distinct honor both times, and highlights of my rock guitarist life.

But ever since the Eliminator album came out and that fucking MTV Image with the keychains and sunglases was invented, they have had this complete smugness about them..."Yeah, we're BAD!", however, as time has gone on it has become literal!

The 2003 Tour was a demonstration of why they should hang it up.

They are SO bad, they should not waste the fans time trying to convince them how cool they are.

Cool Self-Indulgence does not always translate to a good presentation. A Nation of Rock Musician Cokeheads could tell you that...it is also known as being self-delusional...

I guess even though I am bitching about their demise as a powerhouse band, I have to say I will always respect them. If I judged by performance alone, I would never go see them again.

But I OWE my life as rock musician to those motherfuckers.

So next time they tour, I will most likely go see them. Though I will cut out before the encores, just like I did in May, 2003.

Synyrd did nothing for me. One song maybe, that was it. (and we all know which one)


What was the encore to ZZ's tour? Was it a typical "Sharp dressed Man" bullshit? I can understand where you are coming from. I think all the cool bands kinda commercialized themselves by the 80's.

[Hardrock69]

Tush was the encore...at least in 2003.

[Va Beach VH Fan]

Originally posted by Big Troubles
Synyrd did nothing for me. One song maybe, that was it. (and we all know which one)

Yeah, but that ONE SONG, is one that you MUST see in concert....

An OUTSTANDING concert tune....

[Hardrock69]

If I never heard anything by Skynyrd again it would be waaaay to much.

Blame the radio program directors for playing Skynyrd to death so that many people do not want to hear them ever again.

[ELVIS]

Originally posted by Big Troubles
If CVH reunited today, they'd need a year's worth of timing and rehearsals to get their shit back to prime.

They would never get back to prime, not in a million years...

Don't fool yourself...

[Hardrock69]

I do not believe there will ever be a CVH reunion...so all I want is some nifty box sets with multiple DVDs that have one pro shot concert from each tour.

That way the drunk can drink himself to death, but I will still get my CVH fix....

[ODShowtime]

that really riles me up for the zztop show in October

BTW I saw Skynard with the Allman Brothers this year and they kicked serious ass.

[Big Troubles]

Originally posted by ELVIS
They would never get back to prime, not in a million years...

Don't fool yourself...

yeah "prime" was a poor word. Lets say "up to touring standards". Minimum a year. If they annouced a reunion with tour, Id like to think they'd play more than a handful of closed door shows to warm up to a national if not global tour. If they dont, they will look foolish. That's why most people want a reunion, but those same people will have their fingers crossed. Id hate to say it, but Alex would be THE guy in the band to keep shit civil and take a reunion approach seriously. We know Dave just wants to rock. That's great. But we also know Ed, at least Ed, has a problem with booze and pills and will find Daves attitude unbearable. Thats why I say "a year".

[Hardrock69]

Hey ODS, for all I know the 2 shows I saw on the 2003 tour were anomalies or something.

Even though I was disappointed in recent performances cause I am comparing them to when I saw them almost 29 years ago, they may kick your ass.

I did not mean to make you think you might not get a great show.

Even if I think their show is lame, opinions do vary, and they are surely capable of destroying an arena if they want to.

I have seen them do it before....