• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Dusty Hill and ZZ Top Live

#21
Rob L said:
I saw them last night in Grand Forks ND and it was a great show! It was a small setting and the sound was great.

Dusty's tone was thick and dirty..:bassist:

He played one of the custom reverse basses (white one with gold harware that said Gold Dust on it) all night except for the fuzzy one during legs. I could not see any amps on stage at all. Just 2 Crate stacks (what seem to be 4x12) on each side.

I could hear everything perfect and they are still on top of their game at what they do. Dusty, Billy and Frank Rock!
Click to expand...

Where did they play in GF? I did not even hear that they were playing there. Usually I hear who's coming to your neck of the woods. Winnipeg only being 3 hours north it is easy to run down to catch a show that we aren't getting up here.
 
#22
texasgreg said:
I believe Dusty and Billy often use Rio Grande pickups in many of their axes. Not all the time, but alot of the time. Rio Grande's are made in Houston, just like ZZ Top!

.
Click to expand...

Rio Grandes are amazing pickups. I've got the Muy Grande Jazz pickups in my SX and they're just amazing. Very Mid-range focused and barky, just like Dusty's tone.

Being from Houston, you have to have a love for ZZ Top, and they were and are an amazing band. Billy Gibbons is just a master of guitar, and Dusty is able to back up everything impeccably and lay down a fat groove.
 
#23
Geddyfleaharris said:
Where did they play in GF? I did not even hear that they were playing there. Usually I hear who's coming to your neck of the woods. Winnipeg only being 3 hours north it is easy to run down to catch a show that we aren't getting up here.
Click to expand...


They played at the Chester Frits auditorium on the UND campus. It holds something like 2300 people. Great venue for sound and seeing the band.
 
#32
And don't forget to lay some love on Frank Beard, too.

If you listen to 10 drummers try to cover La Grange, 1 of them might get the feel really close, another 2 or 3 will get close enough for bar band work, and the rest of them will just miss it entirely. The stuff he plays may be simple but it is definitely not easy.

Just as swingin' a drummer as the day is long. Rock solid.
 
#33
jaywa said:
And don't forget to lay some love on Frank Beard, too.

If you listen to 10 drummers try to cover La Grange, 1 of them might get the feel really close, another 2 or 3 will get close enough for bar band work, and the rest of them will just miss it entirely. The stuff he plays may be simple but it is definitely not easy.

Just as swingin' a drummer as the day is long. Rock solid.
Click to expand...
Yep. Frank understands the importance of laying behind the beat. He always hits that snare at the last possible millisecond. And that's why most otherwise good drummers suck when they try to play his beats.
 
#35
NickMarinelli said:
While channel surfing last night, I came across a concert video by ZZ Top on VH1 Classic. I'm not their biggest fan, but having never seen them live I figured it would be interesting to see what they do live.

The impression I came away with is this: Dusty Hill is one hell of a good bass player! He played a real old Telecaster-type bass (the headstock was upside down) for every song except one, and he owned the stage! His tone was massive with hints of distortion. Although usually quite basic and simple, his bass lines filled up all of the tonal gaps that are inherent in a 3 piece band and complemented what Gibbons was doing on guitar very nicely.

I always enjoyed ZZ Tops humor; now I have even more respect for what they do.
Click to expand...

Dusty Hill is IMO simply one of the greatest bass players anywhere, period. Totally soild groove on any song he plays. I've seen them live going way back to the Rio Grande Mud, Tres Hombres days all the way up to the current stuff. I'm always impressed with the fact that he has the ability to play three piece without overplaying all the time. He proves that you can stay down low, play soild groove bass lines and just KILL in a three piece situation.

I've covered (and sometimes butchered) many ZZ songs over the years and it's always fun.

I like the enchiladas and the teriaki too
I even like the chicken if.... The sauce is not too blue
 
#36
Yeah, I'm afraid I'm gonna hafta chime in here and give some props to the Beards' Three.

I caught their show at the Peoria Civic Center a couple of summers ago and it was awesome. That place is notorious for bad sound. I mean really, really bad sound. I could hear everything! I'm not sure I've ever heard bass in there, but I could hear Dusty Hill. They were ON IT, and Billy's playing actually made me giggle - which was kinda embarrassing, but it was loud in there and no one could hear me. One of my favorite shows.
 
#37
They totally ruined the original sound of the albums when they remixed them with all that reverb added to the drums....YUCK!

Edit: Ooops, this thread is about their live sound. Sorry for being off topic. But still..
 
#38
david fitch said:
Dusty Hill & ZZ Top do what they do...KICK ASS ! ! ! Dusty is such a great player because he knows how to serve the song. Dusty and Frank Beard give Billy a solid foundation. They sound damm big for three guys.
Click to expand...

+1000! ZZ Top definitely stands the test of time. So many other bands have come and gone since they started and they are still here kicking a** as always!:D:bassist:

Is this the show you guys saw the other day?
51QocBSUjCL._SL500_AA240_.jpg


This is an awesome DVD by the way so any of you ZZ Top fans need to get this. It's actually only $10 at Wal-Mart!
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back