The blues have legs, ZZ Top proves

For all their simplicity and self professed lack of skill, pretty well manage ZZ Top.
It helps that their catalogue is among the best in the rock biz. Last night at the Save on Foods Memorial Centre, in what was their maiden Victoria appearance, the trio from Texas trotted out, among others, four hall-of-fame hits of their own, a pair of blues standards (Willie Brown's Future Blues and B.B. King's Rock Me Baby), an all-world classic (Jimi Hendrix's Hey Joe) and an Elvis tune (Viva Las Vegas).
Hard not to hit home runs with big bats like those.
The band, which frontman Billy Gibbons described last night as "three guys, three chords," uses every trick in the showbiz book, from jokes tailor-made for the host city to extending their big hit way past the point of usefulness (that would be La Grange, which fell flat).
In the hands of a lesser band, such sins would be unforgivable. But with ZZ Top, that little ol' band from Texas, it came across as canny craftsmanship.
There's something to be said for 40 years of service, and ZZ Top, which got its start so long ago that it can speak first hand about playing shows with Hendrix, has clearly learned how to perform during that time. That hard won experience covered up a few rough spots most of which revolved around Gibbons's at times frail voice and made the 19-song, 90-minute concert cook.
Power trios are driven by their rhythm section; without the bottom end locked and loaded, all the frontman firepower doesn't mean a thing. ZZ Top, which is anchored by bassist Dusty Hill, the band's secret weapon, and drummer Frank Beard, is proof of that. So, for argument's sake, is Wide Mouth Mason, which opened last night's concert. The group offered a 40 minute set that was both solid and solid sounding.
The latter was due to the band's killer bass- combo of Safwan Javed and Big Sugar's Gordie Johnson, who was sitting in for absent bassist Earl Perreira. The sound quality was great, unusual for a warm up act, and the songs were strong. All in all, a nice return to form for one of Canada's unsung bands.
The headliners had likely faced a similar situation before — solid opening act on its home turf before a favourable crowd — but seconds into ZZ Top's opening number, Got Me Under Pressure, the battle was over. Hill and Gibbons dropped their signature footwork, on cue and in time, and the crowd of 4,000 lost it. Game, set, match.
The fun never let up. As a segue into Future Blues, Gibbons was serviced with a "blues hat" by his "technician," who in typical ZZ style was a leggy dame in a cocktail dress. Never missing a step, he said, "This one is from1932. We wrote it."
The lead up to the encore was impeccable. A riff-heavy Just Got Paid was followed by two of the best songs of the night, Gimme All Your Lovin' and Sharp Dressed Man. Both sounded great, better than the recorded versions, which had a lot to do with Beard and the absence of electronic drums.
ZZ Top has brought its sound up through the ages. Remarkably, they're still like a little ol' band from Texas. And everybody knows you don't mess with Texas.