Live: ZZ Top at The MGM Grand

THE MGM GRAND AT FOXWOODS — 5/27/12: ZZ Top cancelled their June 23rd Houston show; beer drinkers, hell raisers, bikers, and bearded freaks alternately pouted and cussed.

SCR bought a ticket to see them in Manshantucket, Connecticut, during the first weekend of their “Gang of Outlaws” tour, ostensibly in support of their new, Rick Rubin-produced album (due out Monday, June 4th). And let me tell you, that album must be awesome. So awesome, in fact, that they won’t even play it in public yet! The only thing promised so far was that they’d play some very old songs, and that the cancelled Houston show would be rescheduled for a promised blowout later in the year, when they’ll really unveil that new record.

For now, the show contains some great oldies they didn’t play at the last two Houston Rodeo shows (“Vincent Price Blues,” “Stages,” “Heard it on the X”), as well as (seriously) a very cool dog who roamed the stage during the encore.

Setlist:

“Thank You”
“Have Mercy”
“Jesus Just Left Chicago”
“Pincushion”
“Heard it on the X”
“Vincent Price Blues”
“Heads in Mississippi”
“Beer Drinkers and Hell Raisers”
“Stages”
“Gimme’ All Your Loving”
“Sharp Dressed Man”
“Legs”

Encore:

“La Grange”
“Tush”

Overheard in the Crowd (to me): “You came all the way from Texas for this?”

Final Note: We’d assumed this would be a full-length show, even though ZZ had two confounding opening acts. SCR ate a hamburger far away from Gretchen Wilson‘s show, so we don’t know how good she may be. And bro-tastic frat-rockers 3 Doors Down were the most unintentionally funny thirty seconds we’ve seen in years. But the real bad news was that ZZ played about the same duration they played at the Rodeo shows. We’re hoping that by the time they get to Texas, they’ll have worked in the new material and will spend a little more time with the hometown crowd. END