Product Description

ZZ Top, the "little ol' band from Texas", has enjoyed enormous success on a global scale since their breakthrough in the early seventies and then their groundbreaking albums in the mid-eighties. Now for the first time one of ZZ Top's legendary live performances has been filmed for simultaneous release on DVD & Blu-ray. The track listing spans their career from early tracks such as "Waitin' For The Bus", "Just Got Paid" and the classic "La Grange", through their eighties blockbusters including "Gimme All Your Lovin'" and "Legs" (complete with furry guitars!) and up to more recent hits like "Pin Cushion". Filmed in their home state of Texas in front of a wildly enthusiastic audience, this DVD & Blu-ray captures ZZ Top at their very best.

TRACK LISTING 1) Got Me Under Pressure 2) Waitin' For The Bus 3) Jesus Just Left Chicago 4) I'm Bad, I'm Nationwide 5) Pin Cushion 6) Cheap Sunglasses 7) Pearl Necklace 8) Heard It On The X 9) Just Got Paid 10) Rough Boy 11) Blue Jean Blues 12) Gimme All Your Lovin' 13) Sharp Dressed Man 14) Legs 15) Tube Snake Boogie 16) La Grange 17) Tush

BONUS FEATURE Poker Game - Billy Gibbons, Dusty Hill & Frank Beard talk through the history of ZZ Top over a game of poker. Dallas Show Day - Behind the scenes on the ZZ Top live show. Photo Shoot - On location with ZZ Top for a typically iconic photo shoot. Bonus track - ZZ Top perform Jimi Hendrix's "Foxey Lady" live on stage.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #10578 in DVD
• Brand: UNI DIST CORP (MUSIC)
• Released on: 2008-06-24
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Color, Dolby, DTS Surround Sound, DVD, Live, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 122 minutes

Amazon.com
That Little Ol’ Band from Texas comes up big in ZZ Top: Live from Texas, a concert recorded in Dallas in November, 2007. The hirsute trio (guitarist Billy Gibbons, bass player Dusty Hill, drummer Frank Beard) has been at it for nearly four decades now, and notwithstanding their synth-tinged commercial breakthrough in the ‘80s, they haven’t changed a whole lot in that time--not that that’s a bad thing, as ZZ Top is still essentially a fine, gut-bucket blues band. In the course of this 80-minute gig, they dig deep into the back catalogue, mixing in tunes from ‘70s albums like Tres Hombres, Rio Grande Mud, and Fandango, as well as more recent items from the multi-platinum Eliminator. Their themes (cars, women, good barbeque) are as eternal as their beards are long (well, not Beard’s beard; the fact that he doesn’t have one remains a source of ironic amusement), their shtick is effortlessly cool, their presentation is minimal (calling Gibbons and Hill’s moves "dancing" would be a major stretch), and their stage show is modest by Big Rock Show standards; the crowd eats it all up, especially when the band careens into a set-closing string of hits including "Legs," "Sharp Dressed Man," "La Grange," and, of course, "Tush." This is the only ZZ Top concert performance out there, and while it has occasional shortcomings (in terms of both performance and technical aspects), it’s a fine example of a veteran band that remains a potent live attraction despite long-dwindling clout as record sellers.

Bonus material is highlighted by Gibbons, Hill, and Beard playing poker while reminiscing about everything from opening for the Rolling Stones and the menagerie (buzzards, longhorn steer, tarantula, etc.) that accompanied the band on a long ago tour to Paula Abdul’s attempt to teach the boys some dance steps (the results speak for themselves). Their version of Jimi Hendrix’s "Foxey Lady" is pretty cool, too. --Sam Graham

Customer Reviews

Crystal Clear and Rocking
This is one of those videos that make you wish you had a bigger TV. It is crystal clear and the closeups are phenomenal. The music, of course, is superb.

The reviewer who gave it one star is off base saying it should have included mp3s. Anyone who buys this DVD probably already has all of ZZ Top's music on mp3.

The reviewer who gave it two stars said it changed camera angles too rapidly. I, too, get dizzy watching shows that do that but I didn't notice it with this DVD.

ZZ Top's first live release lives up to their reputation
ZZ Top has long been known as an outstanding live act, one of the best in the business. Loud, proud, three guys, three chords, with so much cool it just drips from the stage. Having seen these guyzz live twice, I know they can bring the funk better than most. Problem is, how does this brilliant of a live band not release anything live (except for side one of Fandango and the second half of XXX, and the bonus tracks on the Tres Hombres and Fandango remasters) until now? Well, regardless of the situation, that's been remedied. I picked this up at Wal-Mart for 10 bucks, and it is ABSOLUTELY worth every penny and then some. The band is hitting on all cylinders. Billy is playing like a madman, Dusty's holding the groove, and Frank is killer on the skins. Sure, Billy lip syncs during Legs. Sure, they use synthesizer backing tracks on some songs. It doesn't matter. What does matter is that this band just brings it, every night, every song. The show is filmed very well, very clear and sharp. The sound is amazing and the set list is so full of hits even a classic rock station can't keep up. The Eliminator hits? Check. La Grange/Tush? Check. Bus Jesus? Check. Cheap Sunglasses? Check. Plus, the bonus features are very cool too. There is a poker game where the band discusses their past and tells all sorts of stories. They show all the pre-show goings-on that happen before the band hits the stage. There is a cool photo-shoot. And they also have a tremendous cover of Hendrix's Foxey Lady, which they take and make it heavy ZZ-style. Overall, this is one of the best concert dvds I own, right there with Clapton's Crossroads Festivals, SRV's Live At The El Mocambo, Joe Bonamassa's Live At Rockpalast, and Led Zeppelin's DVD anthology. They have waited a very long time to do this, but when they did, they did it right. Get it, turn it loud, put on your cheap sunglasses, and like ZZ say: bear down on the meat, ease up on the potato salad.

Could have been much better
This is not a reflection on ZZTop's performance. The video editing had the 30 different angles a minute mentalality that drives me crazy. I do have an attention span that lasts more than a few seconds. You could not get much of a look at the fretboard during a solo before it flipped to the audience or somewhere else again and again and again. Same with the drummer. The bass player? Forget it......The WORST part was the sound. Instead of getting the audio feed direct from the board for a DVD, you get what sounded like a hand held mike from the back row with all the echo intact. This made the singing and speaking an audio blur. Dusty could have taken the night off because his bass was inaudible. Why can't editors/directors and sound engineers figure this out themselves? This is supposed to be a professional DVD of a concert. We expect much better editing and sound.