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and the BFG Band
Live at Grove of Anaheim
January 30th, 2026 Review by Amberlee Meyer
Billy Gibbons and the BFG band brought down the house… well, the Grove of Anaheim. Diehards and new fans alike could not have been more pleased with a tour like this one; focused on intimate venues like this one, there’s no bad seat in the house!
The Texas blues rock trio features Billy Gibbons (co-founder, lead vocalist, guitar player, primary songwriter of ZZ Top) on guitar and lead vocals, Mike “The Drifter” Flanigin on bass and organ, along with Chris “Whipper” Layton (of Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble) on drums. Let me tell you, these boys came to play!
Gibbons and Flanigin adorned the stage in sparkly, bedazzled pink and brown cowboy-themed suits reminiscent of the iconic Nudie suits of the 1970s, complete with crystal Bolo ties and boots!
The set, a smattering of ZZ Top’s albums, was stacked full of hits and heavy-hitting, down-home Texas blues-rock. Opening with “Waitin’ for the Bus,” then jumping into “Jesus Just Left Chicago,” they got the crowd going with “Gimme All Your Lovin’” from the massively popular ZZ Top 1983 release, “Eliminator.”
The songs blended into one another like a heavy blues jam session, which went over famously. As they broke into another one of ZZ Top’s many radio hits, “Cheap Sunglasses,” Gibbons and Layton did those slick, coordinated moves ZZ Top was famous for. The audience loved it, singing along and shouting out the chorus.
Gibbons’ laid-back vocal technique on “Blue Jean Blues” highlighted his ability to dig down into that soulful place. His versatility and guitar ability were front and center for this one. Then, their rendition of Slim Harpo’s “I Got Love if You Want It” was a perfect example of Louisiana old-school, swamp blues – it did not disappoint. Flanigin was on fire with his Hammond organ; this top-shelf performance was mind-blowing.
They come runnin’ just as fast as they can…
‘Cause every girl crazy ’bout a sharp-dressed man!
Ever the raconteur, the formidable frontman knows how to tell a story, and he shared an incredible one about how a call from England in 1968 landed them a tour with the legendary Jimi Hendrix. As they blasted into a cover of “Foxy Lady,” the audience was left gob smacked!
“Brown Paper Bag,” the only new song performed from a yet-to-be-released studio album for Gibbons, was “south of the belt buckle” guitar-driven Texas blues at its finest.
After “Just Got Paid,” radio hit “Sharp Dressed Man” had the crowd cheering for more guitar, which they got with the hard-hitting songs “Beer Drinkers & Hell Raisers” and “Nasty Dogs and Funky Kings.”
“La Grange” was the perfect closer and earned the gents a standing ovation. Thankfully they returned for an encore of “Thunderbird,” a Texas shuffle, which was received with thunderous applause!
This performance was something else; the musicianship was over the top, and if you have never experienced a Billy Gibbons show, you won’t want to miss out on the next one!
SHOW PHOTO GALLERY
by Highway One Photography
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SID 260127 | TRACI TURNER | EDITOR
