ZZ Top put substance over style for Live at the Marquee
We were blessed with yet another sunny Cork evening as the city's more seasoned music fans waited for ZZ Top to appear.
My companion and I didn't get to enjoy it for long as an unnecessarily panicked announcer warned us that the band were about to go on stage and to hurry up as the doors will soon be closing (what doors? it's a tent!).
Though certainly not sold out, there was a very healthy attendance - certainly more than greeted Beck the previous Tuesday.
As the now commonplace en-masse filming of the band's intro continued to make a mockery of the "No Camcorders" sign on the way in, I suffered my first ever sighting of the selfie stick at a gig - I fear it won't be the last.
My companion remarked that this was perhaps not the best place to take it out and speculated where this instrument of evil would end up by the end of the night.
ZZ TOP Marquee CORK Ireland pic.twitter.com/wXGb3Lhvgs
— Miriam Dunne (@385d93f099924ff) June 22, 2015
The gig started well enough, the bearded ones launching into 1983 hit 'Got Me Under Pressure'. Of course, musically you have a fair idea what you're going to get with these guys - if you don't like the sound of guitar during the first song at a ZZ Top gig, turn around and walk out - because it ain't gonna change all night!
After the initial euphoria of the band's arrival passed, the energy waned somewhat, until the sight of the lead duo swinging their guitars in unison, you know, like ZZ Top do, provoked a surprising bout of delight from assembled punters.
It was the lack of moments like this one however that took some of the gloss off an otherwise satisfying night.
Of course, most of us know the band thanks to those unforgettable 80s riffs, but when the first of these classic got an airing, it didn't quite get the response you might expect.
Perhaps confused by a request to pay homage to the beats of drummer Frank Beard (yes, we all know the irony) as he launched into an extended intro to 'Gimmie All Your Lovin', by the time that classic riff came in, the moment had passed. Shame.
Perhaps it threw them a little, because the next few minutes was a bit of a car crash - I counted the beat falling out of time with guitar and bass a good three times. From a band who, as they would remind us later "have been doing this for four decades", you would expect them to be as tight as the proverbial...
A spirited turn at 'Pin Cushion' managed to get some momentum back, however, and finally we got some of that longed-for pageantry in the form of a synchronised hip-thrust.
It may sound churlish to criticise a band well into their mid-60s for being too static, but they could have worked the stage a little more and demonstrated that sense of fun that delighted us on the occasions they revealed it.
Cool "Roadworn" Guitars being played by the @ZZTop Boys in Cork tonight pic.twitter.com/djg2f5Klkm
— The Roadworn Frets (@RoadwornFrets) June 22, 2015
After the midpoint of the show, frontman Billy Gibbons declared that it was "time to go back". It wasn't quite time for those 80s hits just yet though, as they paid tribute to their roots with some Jimi Hendrix and slow blues. A risky move, but it seemed to work.
ZZ Top Live At The Marquee - Cork. The homage to Jimi Hendrix #blues #Rock #zztop #jimihendrix #LiveAtTheMarquee pic.twitter.com/1hq8YAb5bC
— Maurizio Pittau (@mauriziopittau) June 22, 2015
Thing were soon cranked up a notch though, as Cheap Sunglasses enjoyed a welcome airing, and perhaps buoyed by the response, we were treated to some showmanship again in the form of crotch-rubbing guitar playing and strutting, much to everyone's delight.
The sense of excitement was really growing now, as the crowd roared "Every girl's crazy 'bout a sharp dressed man" when the belted out the 1983 hit - a real highlight of the night.
It all reached boiling point next for 'Legs', along with some of the longed-for iconography and pageantry in the form of those wonderful white fuzzy-haired guitars.
The sight of those classic videos on the screens really brought back hazy memories of the first days of 'MT USA' on Sunday afternoons on RTE.
The band then left without bow or goodbye, in what was as obvious a prelude for an encore as you're likely to ever see. It has to be said though, that the crowd's call for a return was pretty muted by any standards. Some even left to beat the traffic!
But the band didn't let anyone down, and those who left should regret it, as they missed the funniest moment of the night when some legend threw her bra on stage. Still got it, lads!
They wrapped it all up (a little early, just past 10pm) with a high-tempo rendition of 'Tush', and certainly left on a high. These guys have been around long enough to know one of the universal truths of live performance - always leave them wanting more.
If this has all sounded pretty negative, it's really not meant to be. It was a solid, enjoyable gig, and certainly the die-hard fans who gathered from around the country (a few Derry accents among them) loved every minute of it I'm sure.
I just couldn't escape that nagging feeling that a few more playful, theatrical touches, without quite straying into high farce, would have paid such dividends and turned the night into something quite special.
I'm sure the blues-rock purists who have been to far more of these gigs than I, would no doubt scoff at the suggestion, and they're very much ZZ Top's constituency, so who am I to argue?
Certainly as Monday nights go, there's not many that would top this one.
