Billy F. Gibbons and The BFGs: An Intimate Night at The Blue Note Hawaii
Billy F. Gibbons and his band the BFGs, played three sold out shows at The Blue Note Hawaii, situated within the Outrigger Waikiki Beach Resort. Unfortunately no one, including Gibbons, was enjoying the beach due to an unseasonably late low-pressure system which brought torrential rain to the islands all weekend long.
Gibbons is unquestionably one of the finest blues-rock guitarists ever to emerge from Texas; named by Rolling Stone as the 32nd greatest guitarist of all time. Gibbons and his primary band ZZ Top have released a string of classic albums including 1970’s self titled debut, 1972’s Rio Grande Mud, 1973’s Tres Hombres, 1975’s Fandango, 1976’s Tejas, and of course 1983’s Eliminator which introduced the band to a brand new audience. The band recently celebrated their 50th anniversary as a touring band. Gibbons, at 74 years-old has proved that he is a guitar slinging road warrior who refuses to rest.
On this occasion Gibbons’ backup band consisted of Mike Flanigin on bass and Hammond B3 organ and Kenny Arnoff on drums. Flanigin is a veteran of the Austin blues scene. The respected player became a member of Antone’s House Band in 1991 and has worked extensively with Gibbons, Jimmie Vaughn, Eric Clapton, and Steve Miller. Arnoff’s resume includes touring with John Cougar (Mellencamp) for 17 years. His extensive session work has included collaborations with the Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Eric Clapton, Sting, Lady Gaga and tons more. Most recently he has been John Fogerty’s touring drummer.
To witness Gibbons in such an intimate venue with only 320 patrons was a treat. Unsurprisingly, the capacity crowd was louder, drunker, and a bit rougher around the edges than your average Blue Note audience. Gibbons and his band took the stage a bit after 7 p.m. and for 1 hour and twenty minutes played some of the best rock/ blues/boogie on the planet! The setlist consisted of a couple blues standards, a bluesy cover of Jimi Hendrix’s “Foxy Lady,” and a strong dose of the ZZ Top catalog.
The band seemed exceptionally loose and good humored. Gibbons never flinched when audience members shouted out requests or when a couple ran to the stage mid-set with albums and sharpie in hand, requesting autographs. At times Gibbons was a brilliant storyteller, recounting time spent with Hendrix, the lack of surf in west Texas, and his love for Spam! Highlights included “Jesus Just Left Chicago,” “Cheap Sunglasses.” “Sharp Dressed Man,” “La Grange,” “Thunderbird,” the Eddie Schuler classic, “The Crawl” and of course “Just Got Paid.”
The only complaint I have concerns the audience. Everyone sat in their seats the entire time! This is so prevalent at so many blues shows and it drives me crazy. The music of Billy Gibbons and ZZ Top is custom made to boogie! Other than that, he played all the hits and surprised the audience with well played covers. Whether it was straight ahead rock, blues, boogie, or country inspired, Gibbons pulled them all off effortlessly. The gig was short and sweet, but everyone left satisfied, having watched a true blue master.
ZZ Top will be touring throughout Europe in July. They’ll return to the US in August and continue the tour throughout September.
