5/9/1980 ZZ Top, SIU Arena, Carbondale, IL


 41 years ago today...

May 9, 1980 - Phoenix, AZ

That lil' ol' band from Texas, ZZ Top played a rock concert for a mostly college crowd at the SIU Arena.
Billy Gibbons and Dusty Hill had grown long beards, (drummer Frank Beard did not and still doesn't have a beard), and had released the live album "Fandango!" with "Tush" and "LaGrange." This show was a few years before the band was in heavy rotation on MTV and their commercially successful peak.
Remarkably, the same power blues trio continues to rock on to this day. We saw ZZ Top's 50th Anniversary Tour (!) in August 2019 in Phoenix and they were outstanding. Not only was the band still tight in a long, career-spanding performance, but they brought a very cool light and video show highlighted by retrospective photos and memories.

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