Monday, January 14, 2008

ZZ Top, Rapid City, SD

For several years in the early 90s Harley-Davidson put on a concert during the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally at their rally headquarters in the Rushmore Plaza Civic Center in Rapid City. The concert seemed to alternate between ZZ Top and the Doobie Brothers. In 1994 it was ZZ Top.

This stage was huge and designed to look like an old-fashioned radio. At the front edge of the stage was a giant treadmill belt that went the full width. So from time to time Billy Gibbons and/or Dusty Hill would step on it and almost instantly be on the other side of the stage. It was a very clever and fun prop that I've never seen on any other stage.





For those of you who can't tell the ZZ Top guys apart, that's Billy above. Dusty has the little bit longer beard, and the guy behind the drums with no beard - his name is Frank Beard.

2 comments:

Diane said...

Right now, I have "Sharp Dressed Man" by ZZ Top as my ringtone. I discovered the song after Sioux Falls musician Derek Post performed it at his CD Release show. I've seen ZZ Top in a few TV shows - Bones and Las Vegas.

Have you ever seen Derek perform? He is a GREAT musician.

Chad Coppess said...

No, I've not been able to catch one of Derek's shows. Maybe soon.

Thanks for reading!