World tour by ZZ Top | |
Location |
|
---|---|
Associated album | XXX |
Start date | September 12, 1999 |
End date | November 1, 2002 |
Legs | 5 |
No. of shows | 134 |
ZZ Top concert chronology |
The XXX Tour was a worldwide concert tour by American rock band ZZ Top. Staged in support of their 1999 album XXX, the tour visited arenas and stadiums from 1999 to 2002. With five legs and 134 shows, the tour began in Denver, Colorado on September 12, 1999 and ended on November 1, 2002 in London, England. The first two legs took place in the United States before the next leg visited Australasia. After three legs, the band was initially expected to tour Europe, but the European leg was postponed until over two years later, which was branded as "Euro-Afrique". Although the tour provoked a range of reactions from critics, it was generally well received.
Background
[edit]ZZ Top's 1996 album Rhythmeen and the supporting Continental Safari Tour brought them to new audiences, particularly in South Africa. Unlike their previous tours, Continental Safari was a minimalistic, sparse production. According to a press release, guitarist and vocalist Billy Gibbons described the tour's production as a "no-frills, full-thrill presentation—streamlined and down and gritty", further acknowledging, "ZZ Top drives it home with a meaner rhythm than ever before." Although their 1997 Mean Rhythm Global Tour did not visit Europe, they performed over 170 shows in support of Rhythmeen.
Stage design and production
[edit]The XXX Tour stage was designed by Chris Stuba, ZZ Top's lighting director. To design the set, Stuba collaborated with longtime production manager Donny Stuart stage set. In place of ZZ Top's elaborate productions of the past, the XXX Tour stage was a simple setup, designed to be intimate. The set included a 48-by-30 foot (15 by 9 m) stage, and was supplemented by giant stretch fabric fixtures, known as Transformits, and were made into geometric shapes, which showed various visuals, including the "XXX" logo behind the stage; for any in-the-round venues, the Transformits were not used. Stuba faced the challenge of designing a lighting system to suit both ZZ Top and Lynyrd Skynyrd, the opening act for most of the tour; both bands used the same wash lights.[1] The set used 87 automated luminaries and 180 PAR lamps, emitting much heat in which the band favored. Stuba explained:
Because the band has literally grown up with conventional lights, they tell me they play better when they 'feel the heat'. They like a really hot stage. The story is they had so many PARs they couldn't move the drum riser until a half hour after the show because it was so hot. They like it that way, and as more conventional lighting goes away and more automated lighting comes into play, a lot of newer bands have no idea what it's like to play under a 150-degree stage. It's an observation we've made about the whole thing, from Billy's point of view. The way we discovered this was, I was running moving light cues and Billy was saying there was something missing and he couldn't put his finger on it. And it came to turn out that it was just the heat factor. He missed the heat. I was pretty shocked hearing that and didn't give it much thought myself until he pointed that out. Our cues now have more PARs in them just for that reason. If they're happy with the heat and they don't think about it and it's the norm, then in turn they probably do play better.[1]
Tour dates
[edit]Date | City | Country | Venue | Opening act(s) | Attendance | Revenue |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Leg 1: arenas in the United States[2] | ||||||
September 12, 1999 | Denver | United States | McNichols Sports Arena | The Groove Hawgs | — | — |
September 15, 1999 | Pensacola | Pensacola Civic Center | Lynyrd Skynyrd, Screamin' Cheetah Wheelies | |||
September 17, 1999 | Orlando | Orlando Arena | ||||
September 18, 1999 | Fort Lauderdale | National Car Rental Center | ||||
September 19, 1999 | Gainesville | O'Connell Center | Lynyrd Skynyrd | |||
September 21, 1999 | Greenville | Bi-Lo Center | Lynyrd Skynyrd, Screamin' Cheetah Wheelies | |||
September 22, 1999 | Greensboro | Greensboro Coliseum | 6,822 / 23,500 | |||
September 24, 1999 | Charlotte | Charlotte Coliseum | — | |||
September 25, 1999 | Birmingham | Birmingham-Jefferson Civic Center Arena | ||||
September 26, 1999 | Knoxville | Thompson–Boling Arena | ||||
September 28, 1999 | Atlanta | Philips Arena | ||||
September 29, 1999 | Roanoke | Roanoke Civic Center | 9,408 / 9,828 | |||
October 1, 1999 | Hampton | Hampton Coliseum | Lynyrd Skynyrd | — | ||
October 2, 1999 | Philadelphia | First Union Spectrum | Lynyrd Skynyrd, Screamin' Cheetah Wheelies | |||
October 3, 1999 | Pittsburgh | Pittsburgh Civic Arena | ||||
October 6, 1999 | Buffalo | Marine Midland Arena | ||||
October 8, 1999 | East Rutherford | Continental Airlines Arena | ||||
October 9, 1999 | Worcester | Worcester's Centrum Centre | ||||
October 10, 1999 | Fairfax | Patriot Center | ||||
October 12, 1999 | Cleveland | CSU Convocation Center | ||||
October 13, 1999 | Fairborn | Ervin J. Nutter Center | ||||
October 15, 1999 | Grand Rapids | Van Andel Arena | ||||
October 16, 1999 | Detroit | Palace of Auburn Hills | 13,896 / 13,896 | $476,361 | ||
October 17, 1999 | Indianapolis | Market Square Arena | Lynyrd Skynyrd | — | — | |
October 19, 1999 | Moline | MARK of the Quad Cities | ||||
October 20, 1999 | Madison | Kohl Center | ||||
October 22, 1999 | Chicago | United Center | Lynyrd Skynyrd, Screamin' Cheetah Wheelies | |||
October 23, 1999 | Ames | Hilton Coliseum | Lynyrd Skynyrd | 7,362 / 14,092 | ||
October 24, 1999 | Fargo | Fargodome | — | |||
October 26, 1999 | Minneapolis | Target Center | Lynyrd Skynyrd, Screamin' Cheetah Wheelies | |||
October 28, 1999 | Kansas City | Kansas City Municipal Auditorium | ||||
October 29, 1999 | St. Louis | Kiel Center | ||||
October 30, 1999 | Memphis | Pyramid Arena | 13,621 / 13,621 | $489,795 | ||
November 5, 1999 | New Orleans | New Orleans Arena | — | — | ||
November 6, 1999 | Jackson | Mississippi Coliseum | ||||
November 7, 1999 | Nashville | Nashville Arena | ||||
November 9, 1999 | Shreveport | Hirsch Memorial Coliseum | ||||
November 10, 1999 | Little Rock | Alltel Arena | ||||
November 12, 1999 | Oklahoma City | Myriad Convention Center | ||||
November 13, 1999 | Tulsa | Tulsa Convention Center | ||||
November 14, 1999 | Wichita | Britt Brown Arena | ||||
November 16, 1999 | Omaha | Omaha Civic Auditorium Arena | Lynyrd Skynyrd | |||
November 17, 1999 | Rapid City | Rushmore Plaza Civic Center | ||||
November 19, 1999 | Salt Lake City | Delta Center | Lynyrd Skynyrd, Screamin' Cheetah Wheelies | |||
November 21, 1999 | Billings | MetraPark Arena | ||||
November 22, 1999 | Missoula | Adams Center | Lynyrd Skynyrd | |||
November 24, 1999 | Tacoma | Tacoma Dome | Lynyrd Skynyrd, Screamin' Cheetah Wheelies | |||
November 26, 1999 | Spokane | Spokane Arena | ||||
November 27, 1999 | Portland | Rose Garden Arena | ||||
November 28, 1999 | Boise | Idaho Center | ||||
November 30, 1999 | Reno | Lawlor Events Center | Lynyrd Skynyrd | |||
December 1, 1999 | Sacramento | ARCO Arena | Lynyrd Skynyrd, Screamin' Cheetah Wheelies | |||
December 3, 1999 | Oakland | The Arena in Oakland | Lynyrd Skynyrd, Sy Klopps Blues Band | |||
December 4, 1999 | Anaheim | Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim | Lynyrd Skynyrd | |||
December 5, 1999 | San Diego | San Diego Sports Arena | ||||
December 7, 1999 | Las Vegas | Mandalay Bay Events Center | Lynyrd Skynyrd, Screamin' Cheetah Wheelies | |||
December 9, 1999 | Tucson | Tucson Convention Center | 7,379 / 8,962 | $258,265 | ||
December 10, 1999 | Phoenix | America West Arena | — | — | ||
December 11, 1999 | Albuquerque | Tingley Coliseum | ||||
December 14, 1999 | Odessa | Ector County Coliseum | Screamin' Cheetah Wheelies | |||
December 16, 1999 | Lubbock | Lubbock Municipal Coliseum | Lynyrd Skynyrd, Screamin' Cheetah Wheelies | |||
December 17, 1999 | Dallas | Reunion Arena | 14,654 / 14,654 | $579,290 | ||
December 29, 1999 | Lafayette | Cajundome | Lynyrd Skynyrd, Jivin’ Sister Fanny | — | — | |
December 30, 1999 | Austin | Frank Erwin Center | ||||
December 31, 1999 | Houston | Houston Compaq Center | 11,777 / 11,777 | $681,372 | ||
Leg 2: arenas in the United States[2] | ||||||
January 14, 2000 | Hershey | United States | Hersheypark Arena | Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Demonseeds | — | — |
January 15, 2000 | Charleston | Charleston Civic Center | 11,423 / 11,423 | $379,891 | ||
January 16, 2000 | Wheeling | Wheeling Civic Center | — | — | ||
January 18, 2000 | Wilkes-Barre | Northeastern Pennsylvania Civic Arena | Lynyrd Skynyrd, Laidlaw | |||
January 19, 2000 | Rochester | Blue Cross Arena | 5,147 / 10,877 | |||
January 21, 2000 | Hartford | Hartford Civic Center | 9,784 / 12,500 | $334,342 | ||
January 22, 2000 | Providence | Providence Civic Center | — | — | ||
January 23, 2000 | Uniondale | Nassau Coliseum | ||||
January 25, 2000 | Albany | Pepsi Arena | 8,899 / 10,000 | $297,211 | ||
January 26, 2000 | Portland | Cumberland County Civic Center | 8,068 / 8,068 | $282,380 | ||
January 28, 2000 | Uncasville | Mohegan Sun Arena | — | — | ||
January 29, 2000 | Atlantic City | Trump Marina | ||||
February 2, 2000 | Tampa | Ice Palace Arena | Lynyrd Skynyrd, Laidlaw | |||
February 4, 2000 | Savannah | Savannah Civic Center | ||||
February 5, 2000 | Tupelo | Tupelo Coliseum | ||||
February 6, 2000 | Biloxi | Mississippi Coast Coliseum | ||||
February 8, 2000 | Louisville | Freedom Hall | 11,116 / 13,000 | $341,567 | ||
February 9, 2000 | Huntsville | Von Braun Civic Center | 7,862 / 7,862 | $269,867 | ||
February 11, 2000 | Johnson City | Freedom Hall Civic Center | 7,958 / 7,958 | $278,530 | ||
February 13, 2000 | Fort Worth | Fort Worth Convention Center | 11,923 / 11,923 | $492,155 | ||
February 16, 2000 | Macon | Macon Coliseum | — | — | ||
February 18, 2000 | Albany | Albany Civic Center | ||||
February 19, 2000 | North Charleston | North Charleston Coliseum | ||||
February 20, 2000 | Raleigh | Raleigh Entertainment & Sports Arena | ||||
February 22, 2000 | Toledo | Savage Hall | ||||
February 23, 2000 | Kalamazoo | Wings Stadium | ||||
February 25, 2000 | Cincinnati | Cincinnati Gardens | ||||
February 26, 2000 | Columbus | Value City Arena | ||||
February 27, 2000 | Evansville | Roberts Municipal Stadium | ||||
February 29, 2000 | Peoria | Peoria Civic Center | ||||
March 2, 2000 | Terre Haute | Hulman Center | 6,086 / 10,200 | |||
March 3, 2000 | Cape Girardeau | Show Me Center | — | |||
March 5, 2000 | Beaumont | Montagne Center | ||||
Leg 3: arenas and stadiums in Australasia[3] | ||||||
April 17, 2000 | Perth | Australia | Perth Entertainment Centre | — | — | |
April 19, 2000 | Adelaide | Adelaide Entertainment Centre | Orianthi | |||
April 21, 2000 | Byron Bay | Red Devil Park | Robert Cray Band, Béla Fleck & the Flecktones | |||
April 22, 2000 | Brisbane | Brisbane Entertainment Centre | ||||
April 24, 2000 | Sydney | Sydney Entertainment Centre | Never the Bride | |||
April 26, 2000 | Melbourne | Melbourne Park | ||||
April 28, 2000 | Auckland | New Zealand | Ericsson Stadium Supertop | Delta | ||
April 30, 2000 | Christchurch | WestpacTrust Centre | ||||
May 1, 2000 | Wellington | Queens Wharf Events Centre | ||||
Leg 4: arenas and stadiums in the United States ("Casino Tour") | ||||||
May 4, 2002 | Atlantic City | United States | Etess Arena | — | — | |
May 7, 2002 | Uncasville | Mohegan Sun Arena | ||||
May 9, 2002 | Albuquerque | Sandia Resort and Casino | ||||
May 11, 2002 | Paradise | Aladdin Theatre for the Performing Arts | ||||
May 12, 2002 | Alpine | Viejas Casino | ||||
Leg 5: auditoriums and arenas in Europe ("Euro-Afrique") | ||||||
October 1, 2002 | Helsinki | Finland | Hartwall Areena | Gary Moore | — | — |
October 3, 2002 | Stockholm | Sweden | Hovet | |||
October 5, 2002 | Aalborg | Denmark | Aalborg Stadion | |||
October 7, 2002 | Copenhagen | Falkoner Teatret | ||||
October 8, 2002 | Hamburg | Germany | Alsterdorfer Sporthalle | |||
October 10, 2002 | Berlin | Velodrom | ||||
October 11, 2002 | Leipzig | Arena Leipzig | ||||
October 12, 2002 | Frankfurt | Jahrhunderthalle | ||||
October 14, 2002 | Paris | France | Zénith de Paris | |||
October 15, 2002 | Saarbrücken | Germany | E-Werk | |||
October 16, 2002 | Brussels | Belgium | Forest National | |||
October 18, 2002 | Essen | Germany | Grugahalle | |||
October 19, 2002 | Munich | Olympiahalle | ||||
October 20, 2002 | Stuttgart | Schleyerhalle | ||||
October 22, 2002 | Vienna | Austria | Spark7 Halle | |||
October 23, 2002 | Brno | Czech Republic | Hala Rondo | |||
October 24, 2002 | Zagreb | Croatia | Dom Sportova | |||
October 26, 2002 | Zürich | Switzerland | Hallenstadion | Gary Moore | ||
October 27, 2002 | Milan | Italy | PalaVobis | |||
October 29, 2002 | Amsterdam | Netherlands | Heineken Music Hall | |||
October 31, 2002 | Manchester | England | Manchester Apollo | |||
November 1, 2002 | London | Carling Apollo Hammersmith | Headway |
Notes
[edit]- ^ a b High End Systems 2000.
- ^ a b ZZTop.com 2000a.
- ^ ZZTop.com 2000b.
References
[edit]- Hausman, Jeff (1996). "Light 'em up!". The Inside. No. 6.
- "ZZ Top's XXX Tour Spreads Their Heat Worldwide". High End Systems. Archived from the original on May 10, 2000. Retrieved March 10, 2012.
- Zurich, Peter (2012). "Past ZZ Top Concerts". The Little Ol' Web Page from Texas. Retrieved March 10, 2012.
- "WORLD TOUR 2000". ZZTop.com. Archived from the original on April 8, 2000. Retrieved March 10, 2012.
- "XXX TOUR". ZZTop.com. Archived from the original on June 6, 2000. Retrieved March 10, 2012.