Credit: Scott Sandberg
The blues has been an art form for decades. Just when you think it might have run its course, a band like the Black Keys or an artist like Gary Clark Jr. comes along to bring the genre back to life.

Through it all, ZZ Top, that little band from Texas, has remained a constant. Last year at Hard Rock Live, frontman Billy Gibbons made a point to remind the sold out crowd of that very thing. “We’ve been coming around here for four decades,” he said in the middle of the 90-minute show. “Same three guys.” Those “same three guys” delivered a helluva show, too, as they played 18 songs with an energy and enthusiasm that belied their age.

Now, the band has just announced plans to return to Hard Rock Live on Feb. 25 on the Tonnage Tour. The jaunt will take the trio to several American cities in the South, Northeast and Midwest. The tour supports the band’s latest release, Live! Greatest Hits From Around the World.

Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. on Friday. 

This article appears in Oct 19-25, 2016.

Jeff has been covering the Cleveland music scene for more than 25 years now. On a regular basis, he tries to talk to whatever big acts are coming through town. And if you're in a local band that he needs to hear, email him at jniesel@clevescene.com.