ZZ Top Bring Their Blues-Rock Majesty to Laval at Place Bell [Photos]

As the first heat wave of the summer was coming to an end, there was a hot and heavy front of rock n’ roll that was about to make land at the Place Bell in Laval. “The Little Old Band” from Texas was in town, and though the temperature had gotten much more comfortable outside, the fans had come to feel the scorching musical heat that only ZZ Top can provide.

It’s been a rough couple of years for our bearded heroes. We lost Dusty Hill a few years back, and the only member of the band without a beard, drummer Frank Beard, has been having some health problems of his own. With that in mind, it was great to see him seated at the drum kit once again, perhaps symbolically the first member of the group to hit the stage. From there, the man charged with keeping the rhythm in Dusty’s absence, his former guitar tech Elwood Francis, joined us with a triple-wide 15-string bass that probably deserves an area code of its own.

Last to hit the stage, and met with a loud cheer from the sold-out crowd, was the man who tops the Cool-O-Meter charts every single month, Mr. Billy F Gibbons. After slow strutting to their familiar spots, the guitars were plugged in, and our journey through some of the best blues-rock of the past 40 years had begun. The band opened with “Got Me Under Pressure.”

It can’t be easy to limit a set list to 16 songs with such a large catalogue, but all of the hits and favourites got played. With a loud cheer going up as every song began. Getting to hear “I’m Bad, I’m Nationwide” is always a personal highlight and “Sharp Dressed Man” will always hold a special place in my memory as a good friend of mine who was also at the show, “Hey Curtis!,” used it as his ring music back in younger leaves. It goes without saying that the building almost burst as “Legs” brought the first part of the show to an end, and what was left of the roof was almost blown away as “La Grange” brought the evening to an end.

While there doesn’t appear to be any new ZZ Top music coming our way, there is still the incredible feeling that washes over you when you know that ZZ Top is in town and ready to rock. This current tour lasts well into November, so don’t you dare miss these legends when they visit a town near you.

ZZ Top @ Place Bell (Laval, QC) on June 25th, 2025

15 photos