ZZ Top
Beale Street Music Festival
Orion Stage
Tom Lee Park
Memphis, TN
May 4, 2013

** 16 BIT **

Source: Tascam DR-2d with internal mics (-6 dB version) @ 16 bit/44.1 kHz
Mastering: .WAV > Sound Forge Pro 11.0 (Build 299) [iZotope Mastering Suite (declick); WAVES GEQ CLASSIC Stereo equalizer plugin (see EQ settings in "Mastering Notes" below); minor edits, normalize, & fades] > CDWav tracking) > Trader's Little Helper (level 5) >
FLAC > TagScanner 6.0.18 (tagging)
Location: Right side, about 60 yards back, mounted to a temporary chain link fencepost with a 6" tripod
Recorded by: Steve "ballsdeep" Hagar
Mastered by: Dennis Orr (EQ settings suggested by Steve Hagar)

Setlist:
01 Intro
02 Precious And Grace
03 Heartache In Blue
04 Waitin' For The Bus >
05 Jesus Just Left Chicago
06 Flyin' High
07 Pincushion
08 Chat
09 Heard It On The X
10 I Gotsta Get Paid
11 Gimme All Your Lovin'
12 Blues Improv
13 Chat
14 Blue Jean Blues (1)
15 My Head's In Mississippi
16 Nasty Dogs And Funky Kings
17 Certified Blues
18 Chartreuse
19 Sharp Dressed Man
20 Legs
21 Encore Break
- Encore -
22 Tube Snake Boogie
23 Viva Las Vegas
24 La Grange > Sloppy Drunk Jam >
25 Tush

(1) Announced as "A Fool For Your Stockings", but...

Billy Gibbons - guitars & vocals
Dusty Hill - bass & vocals
Frank Beard - drums

Mastering Notes:
EQ Settings:
63 Hz -4 dB
160 Hz -2 dB
250 Hz -6 dB
400 Hz -2 dB
1 kHz +2 dB
2.5 kHz +2 dB
4 kHz -2 dB
6.3 kHz -6 dB
10 kHz -2 dB
16 kHz +2 dB

Show Notes:
This was the final show of probably my favorite night ever at Beale. ZZ Top didn't hit the stage until late, it was on the banks of the Mississippi, and they really brought it this show. The Tascam internals deck easily outperformed the Edirol > Sonic Studios, so the Tascam with the internals is what you get here. A nice full spectrum, combined with a sweet, "open air" sound makes this a must-have for Top fans, even with the stagnant setlist. I saw these guys in '97, and the first word that came to mind (especially for Mr. Beard, the drummer) was *lazy*. We all know people like that, but this show was a pleasant surprise. The wind had died down, the temperatures, while slightly cool, were still comfortable. It was just a great cap to a day that featured Star & Micey, Heartless Bastards, Patti Smith, Dwight Yoakam, The Black Keys...and finally, presented here, ZZ Top

I found a spot near the back of the shoulder-to-shoulder people, and let the vidcam and audio decks rip. I was actually impressed with ZZ's sound this show - while polished, it was still gritty. And that damn bass (check out that bass tone on "Sharp Dressed Man").

Pictures are included (they're vidcam screenshots taken on the fly - the last blurry pic is of the rave they had going until 2 AM with Porter Robinson), a video clip (I filmed the whole show) is here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tob014BexLA

He's at the top of the heap as far as I'm concerned; his name is Dennis, and it seems that whatever I throw his way seems to stick. Be sure to thank him for his efforts.

A simple "fuck you Steve" for me will suffice.

As always, more to come....

---ballsdeep OUT!!!

ZZ Top


Images for all shows as well as full size images for this show.

Images for this show:











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ZZTop2013-05-04BealeStreetMusicFestivalMemphisTN (9).jpg