Billy Gibbons clarifies that ZZ Top will continue

The co-founder, vocalist and guitarist Billy Gibbons clarified that ZZ Top will continue and that the current line-up is “still ZZ Top”, even without his former bandmates and co-founders Frank Beard (Drums – Died in 2026) and Dusty Holl (Bass – Died in 2021). Besides Gibbons, the current line-up has Francis Elwood (Bass) and Michael Monahan (Drums).

Billy Gibbons clarifies that ZZ Top will continue

“They did (Both Frank and Dusty picked their replacements). They understood the show must go on. It’s the oldest saying in show business. And when Elwood stepped in, Frank really lit up. Frank was a curmudgeon. Across fifty years, I rarely saw the guy smile unless he was trying to poke fun at somebody. But once Elwood took the stage, I’d turn around and see Frank constantly looking at Elwood and smiling and laughing at the novelty of having this new guy who was on fire. It really rebonded Frank and me.”

“(…) We’re at a very interesting vortex. The band is enjoying being a hybrid. The legacy of ZZ Top solidified sometime in the not-too-distant past. I purposely say solidified, as in, it can’t be broken up. You could take a sledgehammer to it and the ZZ Top legacy would remain intact. Now that there’s a dramatic difference in the lineup, this is where the hybrid bit comes in. We’re still ZZ Top, and only now we have the luxury of adding to what took fifty years to build. And I couldn’t be happier about it,” he said in an interview with Texas Monthly.

During the same conversation, Billy recalled his conversation with Frank Beard about the new drummer. “Roughly eight months ago, I got an unexpected phone call from Frank. In five decades of friendship, I can’t say that I remember Frank admitting that he was not up to any challenge. He said, ‘I’m experiencing some weakness in my bass drum foot, maybe up into the calf a little bit.’ We talked about Mike on that call. It was Frank’s suggestion that Mike keep his seat warm.”

“I said, ‘Are you saying he’s the guy?’ He said, ‘Yeah.’ I think he felt like he was leaving us in a lurch. And to reassure him, I said, ‘Well, to be quite honest, I think we’re going to be just fine.’ Frank’s remark was, ‘Yeah, that’s what worries me.’ So at least we had a laugh,” he said.

Next ZZ Top tour dates

September

• 1 – Harry Chapin Lakeside Theatre at Eisenhower Park – East Meadow, New York
• 3 – New York State Fair – Syracuse, New York
• 4 – Champlain Valley Exposition – Essex Junction, Vermont
• 5 – Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion – Gilford, New Hampshire
• 6 – Maine Savings Amphitheater – Bangor, Maine
• 9 – Lynn Memorial Auditorium – Lynn, Massachusetts
• 11 – PNC Waterside Pavilion – Solomons, Maryland
• 12 – Mohegan Sun Arena – Uncasville, Connecticut
• 13 – Cape Cod Melody Tent – Hyannis, Massachusetts
• 15 – American Music Theatre – Lancaster, Pennsylvania
• 16 – Ferguson Center – Newport News, Virginia
• 18 – Greenfield Lake Amphitheatre – Wilmington, North Carolina
• 19 – Sweetland Amphitheatre – LaGrange, Georgia
• 20 – Peace Concert Hall, Peace Center – Greenville, South Carolina
• 22 – Anderson Music Hall – Hiawassee, Georgia
• 24 – Koka Booth Amphitheatre at Regency Park – Cary, North Carolina

October

• 3 – The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion – The Woodlands, Texas
• 4 – The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory – Irving, Texas
• 7 – Tennessee Theatre – Knoxville, Tennessee
• 8 – Ascend Amphitheater – Nashville, Tennessee
• 9 – VyStar Pavilion – Port Wentworth, Georgia

November

• 9 – Telemex Auditorium – Guadalajara, Mexico
• 11 – Auditorio Nacional – Mexico City, Mexico
• 13 – Banamex Auditorium – Monterrey, Mexico
• 16 – Teatro Caupolican – Santiago, Chile
• 18 – KTO Arena – Porto Alegre, Brazil
• 20 – Igloo Super Hall – Curitiba, Brazil
• 21 – Suhai Music Hall – São Paulo, Brazil
• 24 – Movistar Arena – Buenos Aires, Argentina