Mt Smart Supertop
Review: Nick Smith
Last time ZZ Top played at Auckland, they packed out Western Springs. But on Friday the trio failed to draw a crowd at the comparatively tiny Supertop.
Such is the sign of the times. Only about 2500 blues-rock fans came to celebrate the Texan trio's 30th anniversary,
and those who stayed away did not miss much.
Maybe it was the sparse audience that barely stretched past the lighting and sound desk, or perhaps after three decades the rock veterans are struggling to muster the necessary enthusiasm, but this was one ZZ Top gig that failed to ignite.
All the right signs were in evidence: the 30 "hogs" and countless classic cars parked outside the tent, the huge sound system, the dense clouds of cannabis smoke drifting across the venue, police leading away numerous drunk young men in handcuffs before the concert even started.
Undoubtedly, the disappointing night was the band's fault. Plodding and loose aptly sums up their efforts on stage.
With an underpowered audience, ZZ Top chose to spend the first half of the night plugging several songs from their new album, XXX.
Fearless Boogie typified the result. A mid-tempo rocker, it staggered along in a desultory fashion, with its shouted-out moronic chorus providing the musical equivalent of Mogadon.
36-22-36 was more like the Top of old but still failed to scale any sonic heights.
ZZ Top used to provide the best moronic rock'n'roll in the business - a sort of thinking man's bogan band. On Friday night, they were just dumb.
Sure, there were some humorous and enjoyable set pieces - the twin microphone stands made to look like giant motorcycle exhaust pipes; the neatly choreographed stage moves; the conveyer belt at the back of the stage - but it was not enough.
Guitarist-singer Billy Gibbons must cop most of the blame. His legendary guitar skills were overemployed - more solos than a Neil Young concert - given that he was not on his game.
Gibbons fluffed the opening to one song and was all over the place on others, which is perhaps why he took to his instrument with a knife during one sad interlude.
By the time the band chose to play crowd-pleasers such as Sharp Dressed Man and Legs, it was too late.
To quote the singer: "I'm bad."
