As the stage is getting turned round for the main act I find myself wondering what the show will be like, having wanted to, but never had the chance to, see The Top live, and given their advancing years, I don’t know what to expect.
Then the numerous Magnatone amps light up and the drum kit sits on stage looking like some sort of retro-futuristic-industrial instrument of brutality, brooding in the smoky dimness of the Academy, complete with gong!
Out they come, ZZ Top, and boy do they deliver, Billy Gibbons and Dusty Hill looking like a cross between something from a Mad Max movie and two bad hombres from a spaghetti western…..and those beards, it's iconic. The opening track Got Me Under Pressure really sets the bar high. The sound quality and the clarity a step up from before.
Up through the gears they move to hit us with Gimme All Your Lovin’, Billy’s guitar tone exquisite and the sleazy, laid back beat held down by Beard, on drums, tight as you like. There is a definite swagger about them and an easy confidence in their stage presence. The way Gibbons and Hill stalk around each other on stage and please the Glasgow fans with the effortlessly executed stage moves they have become known for but which are delivered with a humour that doesn’t feel cheesy.
