i was shocked at how early the club filled up. anyone hoping for rail tonight, or a seat at the bar upstairs, is advised to be in line before doors. we got there 15 minutes after they opened and everything was taken. we settled for a first riser on the left side.
had dinner at the club - a deluxe veggie panini & chicken-pesto-etc sammich. both were delicious.
the openers, Justin Jones and The Driving Rain, were pretty good. justin, a bartender at the club, related the story of having been asked to open for zz top just a few days ago. i'd say he & his band rose to the occasion admirably. tight band playing well-crafted songs in a country-rock vein. good stuff.
zz top, as mentioned previously, were a blast. every girl and boy went crazy for those three sharp-dressed men - ok, two sharp-dressed men, frank was rocking the jeans and t-shirt look. bill & dusty's choreographed moves are classic, and yes, they're still rocking the fuzzy guitars - see the pix:
http://picasaweb.google.com/sweetcell/ZZTopAt930Club (yes, i took a lot of pix - sue me, i have a soft spot for texas bluesmen with foot-long beards).
as one might expect, the crowd was on the geriatric side. seems like the only people younger than me that i saw (other than cali) were kids tagging along with their parents. didn't hurt the energy of the show, tho, people were hootin' and hollerin' and having a grand ol' time.
you simply cannot be a fan of straight-up rock'n'roll and not enjoy zz top live. a highly recommended show. if it wasn't for my patriots playing tonight (i'm nervious about brady) and the price tag, i'd definitely be there again tonight.
actually, i'm still considering it.