Posted on 08/19/2026 6:35:56 AM PDT by V_TWIN
ZZ Top drummer Frank Beard’s health was ailing for more than a year before his death on Monday.
As far back as March 2005, the rock band announced on Instagram that Beard was temporarily stepping away from their Elevation tour to “attend a health issue requiring his focus in the near term.”
“He is looking forward to a speedy recovery,” the band noted at the time.
He was noticeably absent for the band’s The Big One! tour, which started in March, and fans on Reddit noted in May that he hadn’t appeared onstage.
ZZ Top later made headlines when they abruptly canceled their show on Aug. 5 just hours before they were scheduled to perform at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, citing “unforeseen personnel matters.”
Frontman Billy Gibbons shared in a statement at the time, saying that “Insurmountable obstacles require canceling our Hollywood Bowl performance.”
Though the band did not mention Beard’s health at the time, People confirmed less than a week later that the musician was going on leave due to illness and that drummer Michael Monahan would be taking his place.
Just weeks later, Beard died on Aug. 17 after a stay in hospice, the Fort Bend County Medical Examiner’s Office in Rosenberg, Texas, told The Post.
(Excerpt) Read more at pagesix.com ...
RIP Frank, you were one cool cat.
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I was friends with Billy Gibbons back in the day and knew the guys, I don’t think anybody back then thought that articles on the various rockers of the time would be about them having issues during rock concerts related to being 75 and 85 years old.
Theres a lot of that going on.
Barry Manilow has cancer but is still touring for now.
Rod Stewart recently had to cancel his tour due to cardio issues.
Lionel Richie and Frankie Valli both canceled tours citing health issues.....the body isn’t supposed to do at 70 or 80 what it did at 20 or 30.
“What a drag it is getting old”.......................
Who would have guessed that so many rockers would still be relevant 55 and 60 years later, heck, even most of the youth listening to them at the time have died at this stage of the 21st century, as we whiz around with our flying cars and robot maids making us milkshakes and trying to get tickets to the latest Stones concert or whoever while smoking legalized pot and our girlfriends wearing burqas.
I wonder how long Billy will be with us.
You can still buy tickets to ZZ Top’s concerts on Ticketmaster. About half sold out.
Tickets ranged from $110 in the aft nosebleed balcony section to $441 2nd-row center section at the venue near me.
“Please Note: No refunds or exchanges. Event date and time subject to change.”
No thanks.
It was great seeing them 50 years ago, though, July 4, 1976. For about 10 bucks, as I remember.
Nice, funny mix of images....but sadly,it may not be soon enough to help us get out of the the societal death spiral we is on.
My kids - and grandkids - love their music, their image and everything about them. They are classic and timeless.
Far better than most of the garbage “music” coming out now.
““What a drag it is getting old”
Yep. But some say it beats the alternative. ha
That entirely depends on where you’re going...
February 23, 1977 here. We saw the same Worldwide Texas Tour. Can't remember what I paid for the seat, but it was no more than $10.00. They had live animals on stage; I remember my buddies and I disagreeing as to whether they were real. When the second set started a huge longhorn steer rose on a platform next to them and ended the discussion. There was also a huge vulture perched on a cactus, and several other large critters. Best concert I ever saw - great memories.
Lynyrd Skynyrd is basically just a tribute band now but they are playing decent venues like they are the real thing.
Yes, those were the days! Fantastic!
The concert I attended was after “Fandango!” but just before “Tejas” was recorded, later in 1976.
I don’t know about your concert lineup, but since it was the bicentennial concert, it was a big deal, with several other bands. The lineup also included: Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Outlaws, and Blue Öyster Cult (and one other, minor band, “Point Blank,” who never played). Festival seating. One of my coworkers went with me, and we were right up front. It was incredibly loud. The amps were stacked up in a wall.
During one of the intermissions between bands, the announcer came on the PA and told everyone not to take a drink from jugs being passed around - they had several people (nine, I think) who presented to emergency services because they drank “Kool-Aid” that was laced with mushrooms.
There were many great concerts in those days! Now I’m astonished at the ticket prices - and the talent never seems to justify such high prices, in venues with horrible sound, too. I went to a couple of concerts three or four years ago, and it was underwhelming.
I enjoy listening to music at home. When we grew up, good stereos were a thing. Remember? Nowadays, kids listen to Spotify (HORRIBLE lo-fi) over earbuds.
The two most perfect ZZ Top songs for me are “Cheap Sunglasses” and “Nationwide”, and they were both on the same album. Yee-haw! I also remember that Frank Beard was a pretty good golfer too.
Still, a clean shaven ZZ Top is a bridge too far...
That $10 in ‘76 is $60 in 2026 USD, but $350 if you denominated in gold.
I saw Engelbert Humperdinck is still performing at 90, and just put out a new album.
Deguello is my favorite ZZ Top album as well......That’s Right!
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