Z Z Top Newcastle City Hall 23rd November 1983
Those sharp dressed Z Z Top dudes moseyed on down to Newcastle City Hall on 23rd November 1983 to give us a taste of real Texan boogie. The beards were long yet carefully groomed (respect 🙂 ), the stetsons were big and grand with the widest brims you had ever seen, and the relentless boogie was ….. well it was relentless. They rocked, they boogied, the City Hall shook, and they rocked and boogied some more.
Z Z Top had just released their eighth studio album, “Eliminator”, and they were hot and on the toppest of top forms. “Eliminator” sold 10,000,000 copies and remains their most successful album. The car from the cover of the album roared onto the stage at the end of the concert. Just perfect.
Wow is the only word for it.
Setlist was something like this: Got Me Under Pressure; I Got the Six; Waitin’ for the Bus; Francine; Sharp Dressed Man; Ten Foot Pole; TV Dinners; Manic Mechanic; A Fool for Your Stockings; Dust My Broom; Pearl Necklace; Cheap Sunglasses; Beer Drinkers and Hell Raisers; Just Got Paid; Arrested for Driving While Blind; Party on the Patio; Tube Snake Boogie; Jailhouse Rock; La Grange; Tush. I took the set list from a published setlist for the “Eliminator” tour. Surely they must have played “Gimme All Your Lovin'”?
Z Z Top were, and are, Billy Gibbons, Frank Beard (the one without the beard) and Dusty Hill. Support came from Australian band Wendy and the Rocketts.
Three days to go ….
2 Apr
Posted by Hockey on April 3, 2015 at 3:23 pm
Great review Peter, my friends and I went to the Leeds University gig on this tour a few days before. It was also an amazing gig with the most awesome sound for a three piece band, chainsaw metal blues boogie….. I was also excited to be in the same venue where The Who recorded Live at Leeds, and I’ve been a few times since then, and seen ZZ Top a few times since at Manchester Apollo and Liverpool summer pops. we certainly love that Li’l old band from Texas. happy days indeed. best wishes, Michael.
Posted by vintagerock on April 3, 2015 at 3:24 pm
Thanks Michael Best wishes Peter