Fagerlund's reviews

Beard. Blues. Rock. Sunglasses. I guess that's a fair summary of this show! I guess ZZ Top doesn't really need any further introduction, they've been around for quite some time now after all! You'd expect old men at the age of 64 and 65 to be quite calm and still on stage, but not so for ZZ Top! They have quite a lot of energy actually, and they move around quite freely! It's not the kind of energy to run circles around the stage, but they rather move in tune with the music. They follow that groove... which is really nice to see! And in case you needed something more too look at they also brought two big screens which showed a "movie" about "The Girl" who was trying to get in time to a ZZ Top-gig, combined with various old music videos and misc stuff for some songs.

 

So, they played at Gröna Lund, the oldest amusement park in Sweden and also a "classical stage" for music. For example Jimi Hendrix once played there... and is rumored to have stopped only because someone unplugged the electricity for his guitar! Now ZZ Top used to hang out with Jimi I believe, and that's probably why they played Foxy Lady at this stage in particular! I was very surprised to see a famous band like this pull out not one cover, but two covers... but I guess it was a tribute of sorts.

 

Apparently around 17000 people showed up to see these old men rock out tonight! But I didn't feel like they were really there. I heard some faint sing a-long for the classics, and there was of course some hand clapping as well but overall a very still audience I think. The sound however, was really nice for most of the time! It was clear enough so you could easily hear the little nuances of the guitar playing, and then powerful enough to be felt in the chest when they wanted it to rock a bit more.

 

Overall a really cool show, and I'm quite happy to have seen these legends perform. Such skill and feeling is hard to come by without experience, and you can really tell that these old men (who're probably still boys in their own minds) really love what they do. 

 

 

Setlist:

 

Got Me Under Pressure
Waitin’ for the Bus
Jesus Just Left Chicago
Gimme All Your Lovin’
I’m Bad, I’m Nationwide
Pincushion
I Gotsta Get Paid
Flyin’ High
Foxy Lady (The Jimi Hendrix Experience cover)
Catfish Blues (Muddy Waters cover)
Cheap Sunglasses
My Head’s in Mississippi
Chartreuse
Sharp Dressed Man

 

Legs
Tube Snake Boogie
La Grange / Sloppy Drunk Jam
Tush