Disco de ZZ Top: “Live from Texas [DVD]”

ZZ Top has long been known as an outstanding live act, one of the best in the business. Loud, proud, three guys, three chords, with so much cool it just drips from the stage. Having seen these guyzz live twice, I know they can bring the funk better than most. Problem is, how does this brilliant of a live band not release anything live (except for side one of Fandango and the second half of XXX, and the bonus tracks on the Tres Hombres and Fandango remasters) until now? Well, regardless of the situation, that's been remedied. I picked this up at Wal-Mart for 10 bucks, and it is ABSOLUTELY worth every penny and then some. The band is hitting on all cylinders. Billy is playing like a madman, Dusty's holding the groove, and Frank is killer on the skins. Sure, Billy lip syncs during Legs. Sure, they use synthesizer backing tracks on some songs. It doesn't matter. What does matter is that this band just brings it, every night, every song. The show is filmed very well, very clear and sharp. The sound is amazing and the set list is so full of hits even a classic rock station can't keep up. The Eliminator hits? Check. La Grange/Tush? Check. Bus Jesus? Check. Cheap Sunglasses? Check. Plus, the bonus features are very cool too. There is a poker game where the band discusses their past and tells all sorts of stories. They show all the pre-show goings-on that happen before the band hits the stage. There is a cool photo-shoot. And they also have a tremendous cover of Hendrix's Foxey Lady, which they take and make it heavy ZZ-style. Overall, this is one of the best concert dvds I own, right there with Clapton's Crossroads Festivals, SRV's Live At The El Mocambo, Joe Bonamassa's Live At Rockpalast, and Led Zeppelin's DVD anthology. They have waited a very long time to do this, but when they did, they did it right. Get it, turn it loud, put on your cheap sunglasses, and like ZZ say: bear down on the meat, ease up on the potato salad.

Let me get the basic idea out of the way right now: if you are a zz Top fan, buy this DVD. You don't need to know anything more. If you are just shopping and thinkin' about buyin' some Top for the first time, you can't go wrong with this DVD. Now for some details.

I usually buy music DVD's only if they have some special quality, or high production values on the sound. I own many music DVDS, but there are only a 1/2 dozen or so that shine based on their production values of excellent sound and accompanying images. My biggest beef with music DVDs, especially live performances, is that either the recording values aren't very good (ie the mix is all wrong) or the video is just not worth looking at. I have a 65" big screen, so if the video isn't absolutely crystal clear, it usually shows up looking faded and lifeless.

zz TOP live in Texas, with just a few exceptions, has good audio production standards and a great mix coming out of the 5.1 or DTS decoders. The first tune is off on the mix, and it sounds flat and featureless, like the guy running the board hasn't got it right for the room yet. But after the first tune, he settles it down and the mix stays consistent with just one more mishap 2/3rds of the way through.

The video spends a little too much time jumping around to create visual interest for my tastes, but not so much as to become a problem. The quality of the video ranges from OK, to pretty darn fine. I bought the traditional DVD not the Blu Ray, but I do upconvert it to 1080P. Depending on the cameras and the lights, the video looks anywhere from good to freakin' awesome.

Looking passed the technical merits of the DVD, the music layed down by the band is top notch. What they play, they play better than anybody : good ole fashioned rock n roll, with a Texas twist. Billy Gibbons is on his game, and Dusty Hill is right there with him. Even Frank Beard the drummer looks alive in this show (something he doesn't always pull off).

The set list is all old favorites, and they knock every one of them out of the park. I would like to have seen some of their other stuff included, but hey, that's nitpickin'. Maybe they will change up the set list on the next DVD (oh boy do I hope they will do another one).

All in all: this is a Top DVD I've been waiting for years to see. I am most grateful they decided to produce it, and I bought it on the first day it was available. You can't go wrong with this effort.

TOP FAN IN GLENDALE, ARIZONA..........

This is not a reflection on ZZTop's performance. The video editing had the 30 different angles a minute mentalality that drives me crazy. I do have an attention span that lasts more than a few seconds. You could not get much of a look at the fretboard during a solo before it flipped to the audience or somewhere else again and again and again. Same with the drummer. The bass player? Forget it......The WORST part was the sound. Instead of getting the audio feed direct from the board for a DVD, you get what sounded like a hand held mike from the back row with all the echo intact. This made the singing and speaking an audio blur. Dusty could have taken the night off because his bass was inaudible. Why can't editors/directors and sound engineers figure this out themselves? This is supposed to be a professional DVD of a concert. We expect much better editing and sound.

Love ZZ Top but there were too many camera angles in too short of time. Not to mention the audio quality was so poor it didn't sound as good as the CDs on surround sound. The guitars sound okay but awful (repeat) awful vocals. So dissapointed.

This DVD absolutely rocks! I don't know what people are saying when they talk about the sound isn't up to par. Z.Z. Top is, at it's best, the best 3 piece blues band ever. As such, sonically, you are going to hear some "holes" in the sound now and then. I've played bass in 3 piece bands, it's very difficult to pull off and fill the entire audio spectrum. Z. Z. Top does it better than anybody. Dusty Hill's bass tone is the best I've ever heard him have on a recording, Frank Beard and Billy Gibbons as well. If you don't buy this, you are really missing out on a classic.