In mid-March, ZZ Top announced that longtime drummer Frank Beard was temporarily stepping away from the band’s 2025 Elevation Tour to “attend [to] a health issue requiring his focus in the near term.” Now, the Texas rockers’ have revealed that Beard won’t rejoin the group for its about-to-launch Down Under trek.
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The outing kicks off Saturday, April 26, in Bendigo, Australia, and is plotted out through a May 18 concert in Wellington, New Zealand. ZZ Top’s longtime drum tech, John Douglas, who has been filling in for Beard since a March 14 concert in St. Augustine, Florida, will continue to do so on the dates Down Under.
An announcement posted on the LiveNation.asia website featured some details about the 75-year-old Beard’s extended break from touring.
“Beard’s continued physical therapy has shown to be very effective in dealing with the issue that caused him to leave the recent US leg of the tour,” the post explained. “While cheered by the positive news, band and management believe that his total recovery must be priority #1. Beard’s attending physicians have suggested more physical therapy over a longer period would potentially achieve better and longer lasting results, and this will now be his focus.”
More About ZZ Top’s Tour of Australia and New Zealand
ZZ Top will be playing a total of 14 shows during its visit Down Under—11 in Australia and three in New Zealand.
Six of the concerts in Australia will be part of the Red Hot Summer Tour. The other seven will be an extension of ZZ Top’s Elevation Tour. George Thorogood & the Destroyers will support ZZ Top at all 14 shows.
[RELATED: ZZ Top’s Frank Beard Steps Away from Current Tour Due to Unexplained Health Issues]
Aussie roots rocker Dallas Frasca will join ZZ Top and Thorogood & the Destroyers at the 11 concerts in Australia. The Red Hot Summer Tour lineup also includes The Living End, Baby Animals, and Rose Tattoo.
ZZ Top’s Other 2025 Tour Plans
After returning from the Down Under trek, ZZ Top will launch a lengthy series of additional North American concerts.
The band has about 50 confirmed upcoming shows in the U.S. and Canada. The trek is plotted out from a June 1 performance in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, through an October 10 concert in Terre Haute, Indiana.
ZZ Top’s itinerary includes appearances at a number of festivals. The band will play the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally on August 1 in Sturgis, South Dakota; the Sea.Hear.Now festival on September 13 in Asbury Park, New Jersey; and the Field & Stream Music Fest on October 3 in Winnsboro, South Carolina.
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