ZZ Top Returns to the Stage After Drummer Frank Beard’s Death

Longtime ZZ Top drummer Frank Beard, 77, died earlier this week while in hospice care at his Texas ranch. The band cancelled two immediate tour dates in Salt Lake City and Colorado Springs following his death. Despite the loss, ZZ Top resumed its The Big One! Tour with back-to-back shows at Austin’s Moody Theater, a venue the group has described as a “second home” for Beard. Drummer Michael Monahan, who had been filling in for Beard during recent health struggles, took the kit for the first concert since the drummer’s passing. Drum tech John Douglas also assisted during the performance.

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Frontman Billy Gibbons introduced Monahan onstage, recalling a recent phone call from Beard in which the veteran drummer expressed concern about Monahan’s “strong work filling in.” Gibbons framed the concert as a celebration of Beard’s legacy, promising the audience a “good time.” The band also referenced its 2021 response to bassist Dusty Hill’s death, noting a similar rapid substitution by a longtime crew member.

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• “I guess some of you probably know there’s a new man in town,” — Billy Gibbons — Billy Gibbons, guitarist and vocalist

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ZZ Top announced that the group will remain on the road through October, continuing The Big One! Tour dates across the United States. No further cancellations have been reported, and the band’s management indicated that the remaining shows will proceed as scheduled.

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