This double disc-set of ZZ Top
concerts, from 1980 and 2008,
is interesting in that it barely
includes any material from the
band’s most successful 80s
albums, Eliminator and
Afterburner. This means no Legs,
Sharp Dressed Man or Gimme
All Your Lovin’. Nevertheless, the
set is a real treat for fans,
including all-time favourites such
as Tush and Waitin’ For The Bus
in their modern and harder-rocking
late 70s guises.

The earlier concert, filmed
for Germany’s Rockpalast show,
is the better of the two, the no-frills
camerawork and lack of
backstage footage putting the
focus firmly on the trio’s
powerful, hard-edged
performance. The satisfyingly
raw and ragged set really
highlights just how great both
Billy Gibbons and Dusty Hill’s
vocals and musicianship are.

The 2008 footage was
filmed during the band’s world
tour of that year and suffers
from too many montages of
plane flights/backstage antics
and so forth being shown over
the soundtrack. Unsurprisingly,
the band seems a little more
effortful than in days of yore but
still prove that they can rock with
the best of them.