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<\/a>I just enjoyed another Sunday night show at The Woodlands Pavilion even though the summer heat is continuing to make outdoor concerts tough on the body.\nAnd let me quickly add that this Sunday night was well worth the sweating that occurred by this reviewer and likely the eleven plus thousand who also attended the Sharp Dressed Simple Man Tour show at the beautiful Woodlands Pavilion. It featuring two R&R HOF bands: Lynyrd Skynyrd and ZZ Top (with Uncle Kracker opening).<\/p>\n
There was from time to time a nice breeze that kicked up as the sun was going down, fortunately for all of us!<\/p>\n
Uncle Kracker sang eight songs and were very impressive especially given they were opening for Classic Rock Royalty TIMES TWO.
\nThe show was booked as a Co-Bill which I think meant that they would alternate who went on first and who would close out the evening, In Fort Worth the night before ZZ Top was first and LS second.
\nAfter seeing what happened this Sunday night if I was producing the show and taking it across the country, I would keep it a Co-Bill but have ZZ Top go ahead of LS every night. Period. No questions asked. And I love ZZ Top, maybe even more than LS yet the evening would have flowed much better than it did this night.<\/p>\n
What I didn\u2019t miss is the tribute that Johnny made for Gary Rossington who died this past March at the age of 71. Gary was the last of the original members of LS and for sure we hated to see him go just as we miss Dusty. Both died way too young and we both significant parts of the musical presentation.![\"\"](\"http:\/\/houstonmusicreview.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/dwc-photography-26-300x194.jpg\")
<\/a>Let me explain my logic and how it impacted the evening:
\nThere are several relevant elements.
\nFirst, LS has nine people on stage and ZZ Top has three. Ninety minutes is a lot of heavy lifting for three performers when basically only one sings and that is really without back up singing to lighten the load.
\nLS has Johnny Van Zant plus two women backup singers to round out the LS vocal experience.
\nNow add to that a LS keyboardist, extra guitar players that are freakin\u2019 awesome and a killer catalog of songs. (I\u2019ll come back to the songs in a moment.)Certainly, if you were inclined you could make the counter argument that there are no original members of LS and that really, they are a tribute and\/or cover band.
\nNot the case with ZZ Top. You still have 66 & 2\/3\u2019s percent of the original members but you are missing Dusty Hill who was a key member of the group from the beginning.
\nAnd BTW I did not hear his name being mentioned during the show. If it was, I missed it. And Dusty lived but a few miles from The Woodlands venue and had passed only two years before (almost to the day of the show.)<\/p>\n
\nAs an aside, Hill\u2019s replacement is Elwood Francis who I have the greatest respect for. Francis was the band\u2019s longtime guitar tech and frankly he authentically looks and plays like he always belonged in the band. (Check out my photos).<\/p>\n
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<\/a>Now before sharing the two biggest reasons for my argument of ZZ going first, and LS second. Let me say the both bands have terrific music catalogs, both have been around for five or more decades, both are high on the Rock food chain and both can kick ass in their own special sort of way.![\"\"](\"http:\/\/houstonmusicreview.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/dwc-photography-25-240x300.jpg\")
<\/a>But the real reason is no band can close a show with Sweet Home Alabama and then do a 15-minute version of Freebird (that was absolutely fabulous well beyond anything I have ever heard or experienced visually) and then less that 30 minutes later have Billy Gibbons come up with a cracking voice and play Got Me Under Pressure and do it successfully. Ain\u2019t happening. No chance of success, just not in the cards.