10/24/2016

ZZ TOP TONNAGE TOUR SLATED FOR EARLY 2017

More than four and a half decades after their formation in the Houston area, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees ZZ Top are set to begin a new tour in 2017 with initial performance dates this February and March. The Tonnage Tour takes the trio to several American cities in the South, Northeast and Midwest. Tickets for select dates go on sale in October and November.

The legendary rockers begin their trek in the Southeast, and then snake their way north, making stops in Nashville, Louisville, Ohio and Upstate New York. They will then head back down the east coast via Atlantic City, Shippensburg, PA and the nation’s capital, arriving in Louisiana and Georgia by mid-March.

The Tonnage Tour comes at the heels of the release of ZZ Top’s Live! Greatest Hits From Around The World album from Suretone. Consisting of 15 tracks recorded live in 13 cities across three continents, the album is notable for having two collaborations with guitar legend Jeff Beck that were recorded in his native London. One of these is a heavy rock version of “Sixteen Tons,” Tennessee Ernie Ford’s #1 hit from 1956. ZZ Top’s take on the song is based on a mysterious YouTube video posted years ago that was falsely attributed to the band and Jeff Beck.  What started as “a mega meta sorta thang” according to singer/guitarist Billy F Gibbons, has now flourished into a staple of ZZ Top’s live sets and the inspiration for the forthcoming tour’s title.

Billy Gibbons expressed enthusiasm for the upcoming Tonnage Tour.  “It’s gonna be a good time,” he commented.  “We’ve been at this long enough that we’re starting to get good.  Come and see us; it’s gonna be loud and live.”

ZZ Top is notable for having the most consistently stable lineup in the history of rock music. Gibbons, bassist/singer Dusty Hill and drummer Frank Beard continue to impress audiences, drawing material from their 15 studio albums, with combined record sales of over 30 million units in the U.S. alone. The band rocks on with timeless hits like “La Grange,” “Legs,” “Sharp Dressed Man” and “Tush” keeping generations of audiences coming back decade after decade.

 

ZZ TOP TONNAGE TOUR DATES:

Feb-19        Greenville, SC            Peace Center Concert Hall

Feb-22        Nashville, TN            Ryman Auditorium

Feb-24        Louisville, KY            The Louisville Palace Theater

Feb-25        Northfield, OH            Hard Rock Live

Feb-26        Schenectady, NY        Proctor’s Theatre

Mar-3         Atlantic City, NJ          Caesars Atlantic City– Circus Maximus

Mar-4         Shippensburg, PA        H. Ric Luhrs PAC– Shippensburg University

Mar-5          Washington, D.C.        MGM National Harbor

Mar-11        Lake Charles, LA        Golden Nugget

Mar-14        Macon, GA            City Auditorium