ZZ Top tour recovers from Aerosmith cancellations with new headline dates

ZZ Top may be a veteran of the blues-rock scene, but the bearded trio has proven it can still be fast on its feet in a pinch. Just days after its tour with Aerosmith was derailed due to injuries suffered by the Boston band’s frontman Steven Tyler, ZZ Top has arranged a headline tour of its own — to begin immediately.

The last-minute venture picks up with a previously scheduled concert on August 18 at Redding Convention Center in Redding, CA, and continues through September 20 at Sovereign Performing Arts Center in Reading, PA. Other stops include multiple-night engagements on September 6-7 at Kewadin Casino in Sault Ste. Marie, MI, and September 13-14 at 9:30 Club in Washington, DC, among other dates.

Though the fate of Aerosmith’s headline tour still hung in the balance for days following Tyler’s injury, ZZ Top had already started throwing together possible fall-back concerts. “[The tour cancellation] wasn’t confirmed, but they decided to look into contingency plans,” ZZ Top spokesperson Bob Merlis told TicketNews.

The resulting itinerary, confirmed once Aerosmith’s cancellations were definite, is a mix of previously scheduled solo shows and brand new headline gigs. “As of Friday, we put out all of the dates that we’re aware of,” Merlis explained, adding that any additional shows would have to wrap before ZZ Top heads to Europe in October.

Due to the last-minute nature of the bookings, the band will hit venues of various sizes and with a scaled-back production. However, fans should be appeased that many of the just-announced shows are also set for markets where the Aerosmith/ZZ Top bill had been destined to play.

“They want to be available to people who want to see them,” Merlis said of ZZ Top, with whom he has worked over the past 30 years. “They thought they’d be viewed by a lot of people, driven by the star power of Aerosmith…. When that didn’t work out, they thought, ‘What can we do?'”

In a recent statement, ZZ Top expressed disappointment at Aerosmith’s concert cancellations and wished a speedy recovery to Tyler, who suffered a broken shoulder and required stitches in his head after falling from the stage during a concert on August 5 in Sturgis, SD.

Lead singer and guitarist Billy Gibbons noted in the statement, “As musicians, we sometimes have to improvise and that’s exactly what this tour is about. We’re going to get out there as quickly as possible and to play for people who want to come to a ‘down ‘n’ dirty’ rock and roll show — no frills and no holds bared.”

Tickets are already available for select ZZ Top concerts. More specific ticketing and onsale information can be found on the band’s Web site.

ZZ Top itinerary:
(Dates are subject to change.)