On Wednesday, Aug. 30, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame band, ZZ Top made a stop at the Toyota Oakdale Theater in Wallingford, Connecticut. The sold-out theater all gathered for the Blues/Rock party at 7:30 p.m.

ZZ Top is currently on their Raw Whiskey Tour, featuring George Thorogood & The Destroyers as the opening act. In September, ZZ Top joins Lynyrd Skynyrd on the Sharp Dressed Simple Man Tour.

This was my first time seeing ZZ Top since May of 2018 when they were joined by John Fogarty formerly of Creedence Clearwater Revival on their Blues and Bayous Tour.

Prior to ZZ Top hitting the stage, around 7:30, the houselights inside The Oakdale dimmed, music blasted through the speakers, and George Thorogood & The Destroyers jumped on stage for their first song of the evening, “Rock Party.”

Everyone knows Thorogood. He has classic, singalong, bar/jukebox songs that have stood the test of time. For the entirety of his 10-song set, the capacity crowd was on their feet, cheering and singing along to every word that the Wilmington, Delaware native band was singing George Thorogood’s band was tight, they played great together, and they were very enjoyable. On top of Thorogood, his band included Jim Suhler on guitar, Bill (The Doctor) Blough on bass, Jeff Simon on drums, and Buddy Leach on the saxophone.

I had been wanting to see Thorogood & The Destroyers for quite a while now and I am so glad that I did. They really rocked the crowd, played all their classic hits, and got the crowd warmed up for the legendary ZZ Top.

George Thorogood & The Destroyers setlist:

1. Rock Party
2. Who Do You Love?
3. Shot Down
4. Night Time
5. I Drink Alone
6. One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer
7. Gear Jammer
8. Get a Hair-cut
9. Bad to the Bone

Following George Thorogood & The Destroyers that ‘little ol’ band from Texas’, ZZ Top graced the stage around 9:30 for their 16-song set. With the intro over the PA that said “Get ready to rock with ZZ Top,” the band jumped into their set with “Got Me Under Pressure” off of 1983’s “Eliminator” and from there, they never stopped.

Lead singer and guitarist of ZZ Top, Billy Gibbons was once called the best guitarist around by the great Jimi Hendrix in the 1960s. Now, that is one of the best compliments around. Once you see Gibbons live, you completely understand why he was gifted with that compliment by one of rock music’s finest to ever plug in a guitar. Gibbons is the definition of cool no matter what he does. Throughout the show, with his guitar in hand, glasses, and a hat, he was prowling around the stage showing off his guitar skills. From playing with just his left hand on the neck of the guitar to hiding his right hand behind his back, Gibbons still is Mr. Cool. Supporting Gibbons is now the second longest-tenured member of ZZ Top, drummer Frank Beard (ironically he has a mustache). Finally, replacing the late Dusty Hill is former guitar tech, Elwood Francis.

Out of respect for Hill, the band has since retired their hit song “Tush” but that didn’t stop the band from rocking and rolling all through the night playing songs that spanned their entire career.

The packed crowd loved every minute of the show. As rowdy as some of the fans were, the low section of the theater took to the isles to dance, threw up the rock horns in applause after songs, and cheered all night long. The crowd cheered extra loud during “Legs” when Gibbons and Francis came out on the stage with purple fuzz on their guitars just like in the original 1983 music video.

ZZ Top has been around since 1971 and pulled out songs all across their careers which I enjoyed. I like it when bands are able to mix up their setlist. They don’t play too many new songs that alienate fans of their classic music but don’t play too many oldies that they completely ignore songs that are newer to their discography.

ZZ Top’s stage was pretty simple, a few stacks of speakers, two microphones, and a black backdrop with lights on the curtain was all they needed because, for the entire show, all eyes were on that little ol’ band from Texas. For the entire history of the band, they have always been a three-piece and it still is that way to this day. To add to ZZ Top’s southern wall of sound, Francis had two very unique bass guitars. He started the show playing a giant 17-string bass and then at one point, walked out on stage with a beautiful red double bass. On top of Francis’ bass guitars, Gibbons also made multiple swaps of his guitar. Throughout the night, Gibbons sported a Gibson SG and a few Les Pauls as the show continued.

No matter what guitars the band used, they still rocked the capacity crowd all night long.

The setlist from ZZ Top went like this:

1. Got Me Under Pressure
2. I Thank You
3. Waitin’ for the Bus
4. Jesus Just Left Chicago
5. Gimmie All You’re Lovin’
6. Pearl Necklace
7. I’m Bad, I’m Nationwide
8. I Gotsta Get Paid
9. My Head’s in Mississippi
10. Sixteen Tons
11. Just Got Paid
12. Sharp Dressed Man
13. Legs
14. Brown Sugar
15. Tube Snake Boogie
16. La Grange

The entire show was just a great night of classic Blues rock and roll. I would definitely suggest checking out this tour. The songs have stood the test of time and each band is “Bad to the Bone,” despite being some sharp-dressed men.