ZZ Top & Foghat bring beards & blues rock to Orange County

On August 30th, the Pacific Amphitheatre in Costa Mesa transformed into a temple of grit, groove, and guitar fuzz as The Elevation Tour rolled through town. Headlined by the bearded legends ZZ Top and supported by the ever-slick Foghat, the night was a masterclass in classic rock swagger that was full of energy from start to finish.

As the sun dipped behind the Orange County horizon, Foghat took the stage like seasoned road warriors — nothing to prove and everything to play. The crowd, already buzzing, was treated to a tight, blues-soaked set that included “Drivin’ Wheel”, “Fool for the City”, and “Stone Blue”. Their cover of Willie Dixon’s “I Just Want to Make Love to You” was a sultry, slow-burning highlight, but it was “Slow Ride” that brought the house down. Naturally. During the chorus, the band dropped the volume and let the crowd take over; it was an a capella sing-along conducted by new(er) frontman Scott Holt, who gave the song — now in its 50th year — a proper sendoff.

If that wasn’t the greatest, then came the main event.

ZZ Top emerged to a roar from the crowd, kicking off with “Got Me Under Pressure”. The sight of Elwood Francis wielding a monstrous 17-string bass was unbelievable — because, of course, he did. Billy Gibbons and the rest of the band was instantly locked into their signature groove, delivering hit after hit with the kind of effortless cool that only decades of road dust and studio magic can produce.

“Gimme All Your Lovin’”, “Jesus Just Left Chicago”, “Pearl Necklace”, and “Sharp Dressed Man”… it was a rundown of the greatest rock n’ roll. Mid-set, Gibbons paused to recount a moment when someone told him ZZ Top wasn’t a “country” band. His response? A smoky, swaggering rendition of Merle Travis‘ “Sixteen Tons” that proved genre lines mean nothing when you’ve got soul.

The encore was pure fire, though.

The crowd was treated to not one, not two, but THREE songs: “Brown Sugar”, “Tube Snake Boogie”, and the immortal “La Grange”. By the time the final notes rang out, the amphitheater was a sea of satisfied grins and hoarse voices. If you missed it, you missed a damn good night. But if you were there, I’m sure you’ll be itching to be back again when the next tour rolls through.

Photography by Sean McCracken

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