All articles tagged with #billy gibbons
ZZ Top played their first show since drummer Frank Beard’s death, at Austin’s Moody Theater, with Michael Monahan filling in after Beard’s passing. Billy Gibbons kept the mood celebratory, joking about a “new man in town,” as the band pressed on with The Big One! Tour through October and planned November South American dates, continuing the band’s legacy after Dusty Hill’s 2021 passing.
ZZ Top returned to the stage at ACL Live in Austin for their first show since drummer Frank Beard’s death, with Michael Monahan stepping in as drummer. Billy Gibbons framed the night as a celebration, introduced Monahan, and the trio delivered a high-energy set of blues-rock classics and new material, including Billy Gibbons’s "Brown Paper Bag," ending with the encore of "La Grange." The current tour runs through late November.
Frank Beard, ZZ Top’s drummer whose backbeat powered hits like Sharp Dressed Man and La Grange, died at 77 in hospice at his Richmond, Texas ranch with family by his side. Band co-founder Billy Gibbons praised him as a great friend and innovative drummer as ZZ Top—formed in 1969 and one of rock’s defining Texas acts—continues after Beard’s passing; Dusty Hill died in 2021, Beard had briefly paused touring in 2025 for health reasons, and the band had canceled an Aug. 5 Hollywood Bowl show due to his illness. Beard is survived by his wife Debbie Meredith and three children.
ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons, Warren Haynes, and Guns N' Roses' Slash team up for a super-sized Lynyrd Skynyrd tribute at the CMT Music Awards, joined by Cody Johnson, Chuck Leavell, Paul Rodgers, Wynonna Judd, and Leann Rimes. The performance celebrates 50 years of Skynyrd's debut album and commemorates the death of guitarist Gary Rossington. Johnson and Rodgers share lead vocals on to-be-announced Skynyrd favorites, while Rodgers pays tribute to his late friend Rossington. The performance promises a powerful sound and airs live on CBS and Paramount+ on Sunday.