The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, September 19, 1983, Page 9, Image 10
ZZ Top cranks
By Michael Miller
Fueled up on barbecue and beer, I climbed
and headed for the Carolina Coliseum Fridav
out ZZ Top.
It had been almost 10 years since my first e
that "little olc band from Texas," guitarist 1
bassist Dusty Hill and drummer Frank Beard,
the neon outline of the state of Texas, the longli
the amplifiers, Gibbons' white rhinestone cowb
hard-driving rock 'n' roll of that early show, a
for a great reunion.
Well, to quote a certain poet-songwriter, "th<
a-changin'," and ZZ Top has adjusted to the {
to a creek bank. Complete with a computeriz
light show and high-tech sound effects, this pe
have to go down as one of the most sophistica
ever.
AS THE headlights of a giant 1937 Ford p
stage illuminated the opposite end of the c<
hammered out the intro to "Got Me Under I
the new LP, "Eliminator," while Gibbons anc
center stage.
The Pedestrians
by Hooeri u bonnor
Readying themselves for the upcoming
"Blazers" tour, which starts October 1, the
Elizabethon, Tenn., based Pedestrians
nostalgically roared into the Russell House
Friday night with a strong emphasis on good
music and hard driving rock 'n' roll.
Defining their sound as a country/New
Wave style with rockabilly influences, the
Pedestrians covered ten fresh sounding
original tunes, as well as a number of songs
straight from the 50s
The present line-up for the Pedestrians inRead
the 0
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Northe
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The merger of c
has made our ir
As a dynamic c<
technology, we
Engineering, Cc
Accounting, Bu
facilities in 13 n
desires with an
u/ant
Since we believ
set your own p;
competitive cor
the best in the
next visit to yoi
questions abou
projected grow
See your place
division repres*
September 29.
For more infori
MANUFACTUF
CREEDMOOR,
MORRISVILLE,
RALEIGH, NC
CLARA, CA \
out 'power rock
With matching flourescent-rec
into my truck ans operated together, their lonj
night to check chests. Identical black velour te
an even greater sense of tearnw<
:ncounter with But the theatrics and chorc
Billy Gibbons, delivery of ZZ Top's blues-orie
I remembered Concentrating mostly on son
lorns on top of cent releases, "Eliminator" and
oy suit and the sing-a-longs on numbers such a:
nd I was ready and the MTV hit, "Gimme All
1 was hoping for a few earlier
j times they are Qr "Francine," but I was not c
SOs like a turtle Top repertoire and the new gei
ed, laser-beam what they'd come to hear,
irformance will
ted rock shows
LATER WHEN I tried to deci
the darkness from the upper alti
rop behind the seats, I realized that 1 had exhau
Dliseum, Beard in describing Billy Gibbons' gi
Pressure" from "classic" rock guitarist in every
i Hill dashed to always expressive but never
remarkable rhythm progres:
#11 ? I I I
snake the cnanai
eludes Steve Smith, Tony Rominger and
Wally Birchfield and is a modified version of
the original band. With a musical style a little
bit harder and faster than the original format,
the band wasted no time in appealing to
a dance-hungry audience. Rocking tunes included
the Pedestrians own "You Don't Like
Me," "Lost In Space," "Countdown To
Cathy" and "Fugitive," with a mixture of
cover songs from the 50s and early 60s.
THE SOUND of this band differs from
any group on the charts, which is exactly
amtcoch (very Mi
rn Telecom
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idustry THE growth field for the 80's and fc
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th.
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jntative from DSS/Raleigh on campus
nation, send a resume or a letter to:
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to coliseum i
i guitar and bass, the two Tex- displayed the c
5, gray beards flowing to their The band w
nnis jackets and jeans created the ovations fr<
From "Chean
?graphy never hampered the music never lei
nted power rock. night" after ar
gs from two of their most re- A 15-minul
I "Deguello," the Top enticed favorites, "La
s "I'm Bad, I'm Nationwide" to whip the ai
Your Lovin." smoke, more
songs, maybe "Brown Sugar" arena, and th<
omplaining about the new ZZ exhausted,
neration of fans were hearing The liner noi
of homogenize
ing, multi-trac
. .... , . musicians is a i
pher the notes I d scribbled in . niKht?s co
itude of the coliseum's ceiling ... , f y
sted my supply of superlatives nc| js as futurj
ntar playing. He is simply a
r sense of the word. From the HARD ROC
ostentatious leads to his what they lac
jions, Gibbons constantly volume.
tiers' in Russell
where the Pedestrians could wind up. With
songs sounding like tunes from an era gone
by, the Pedestrians sound ranges from acts
such as Wall Of Voodoo, Jerry Lee Lewis,
U2 and Elvis Presley. The group is quick to
point out, however, that they are not at all
like the Stray Cats.
A four song LP entitled "Back To The
Future" was released in May to a mediocre
response, and the Pedestrians have "no concrete
plans for a new album as of yet,"
although studio work has been done. The
>nday, Ukdnesda
_ ifl
urgen
Q0 Mono
Resea
I the p
. 1 qualif
?eyond. ,
| hours
,es in I for m
sur I ser
y?u I st
j can
among H
r her
of y?ur wmmmmz
HHH
smmi-s
:rowd
ualifications for greatness.
s having genuine, down-home fun and loving
mi an almost riotous, sold-out coliseum crowd.
Sunglasses" to "A Sharp Dressed Man," the
up and when Gibbons drawled a loud "good
hour long set, everyone knew they'd be back.
? encore featured crowd featured crowd
Grange" and "Tush," with ZZ Top managing
dience to an even higher frenetic level. More
aser lights bouncing off the corners of the
n it was all over, leaving everyone happily
es of ZZ Top's first album states, "In this day
i rock, synthesized music, retakes, overdubbking,
an honest recording by accomplished
awarding pleasure." That was in 1971, but Frilcert
proved the honesty and musicianship is
Z Top. The message is the same, but the chantic
a^ a Texas Star Wars.
K trio, Grand Alliance opened the show, and
ked in originality was compensated for in
House ballroom
50s-influenced band does not feel the need to
explore the MTV route either.
The non-stop driving force that could lead
the Pedestrians to national success was much
in evidence Friday night. They have a sound
of which it is impossible to tire because of its
invigorating expression. Frequent performers
at New York City's Max's Kansas
City Bar ? where the Talking Heads and
Blondie began ? the Pedestrians are making
- r a i i :*l .i * '4 ^
a name ior inemseives wim men imcicMiug
and imaginative musical concepts.
y and Friday
Scam Extra 1
Money I
tly needed ? people with I
lucleosis to aid in Medical I
ch. If you have or had within I
jst 2 weeks Mono, you may 1
/ for $100.00 per week for 3
of your time. Call 254-6537 j
)re information. j
ologicals of Columbia, inc.
Ite 105, 2719 wilddleburg j
Columbia, s.c. 29204
eg. Shrimp Dinner I
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