European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - June 20, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Quot pm if 7.beards, blues and Boogie a top motors through Europe a a 7 a a a a /. / a amps Anita Gosch 77 top s Dusty Hill left and Billy Gibbons rocked for More than 80,000 fans in Germany last weekend. By Anita Gosc staff writer count on Zzz top to make a grand Entrance. When the Texas rockers arrived in Hamburg Germany to meet the press at. The Start of their european tour two weeks ago they came with three classic cars in Tow a / / a / 7 a a v 7 a shocking Turquoise 1932 Ford Coupe a fire engine red 1934 Coupe and a 1948 convertible Pontiac Silver a Streak blocked traffic in front of the City s most expensive hotel and together with the foot and a half beards of 1 guitarist Singer Billy Gibbons and Bass player Dusty Hill brought dumbfounded looks to the faces of posh passers  the cars were a gimmick Courtesy of the Trio s record company for the Benefit of the photographers. But they. Were an appropriate gimmick Gibbons Hill and drummer Frank Beard the beardless one Are self professed car freaks who count restoring classic automobiles among their hobbies. Later that evening Zzz top made a rare club appearance at the 1,500-seat Crosse  on the. Reeper Bahn in Hamburg s red Light District. According to Rumor the going Rale for tickets on the Black Market was $.1,200. Quot there s something about being Able to play on the Reeper Bahn playing in the same area where the beatles played so Many years ago Quot Beard told reporters. Quot it s a very Cool area to us. To Start the european tour off by a. Doing a dub on the Reeper Bahn is like a i mean what a great idea.&Quot-. It was a different Story saturday when Zzz top. Headlined an open air festival in Mannheim Germany an estimated 45,000 fans packed the festival grounds to Boogie with the rockers. Another 35,000 rocked with the Trio in Nurnberg on sunday. ,. ,. That s a far cry from Zzz top s first live performance in the Early 70s when Hill recalled Quot we were greeted by one paying customer a and he did t even have a.   a. \ a a a a a a. A Quot the curtain opened and he was out there so we did. The show Quot Hill  played took a break and. Bought the Guy a coca cola. We did the second part of. The show he stood there and watched the whole thing. Quot about 10 or 1 2 years later in a much larger venue in our. Hometown of Houston t8,000 people or so we gel this note backstage and this Guy showed up. So we brought him backstage. This time we gave him a  anecdotes like this and occasional wisecracks make a a press conference with Zzz top a pleasurable Laid Back a a a a affair a much like the Trio s live shows. Ask them How they eat Spaghetti what with their Long beards,.and Hill quips Quot you have to be very careful Billy and i sit across the table from each other and Monitor each . A a a. A ask Why it look five years Between their 1985 album -.afterburner,-and their latest last year s recycler and Mill. Says it took us a Long time to track Billy Down Quot actually Zzz top spent part of. The time writing a tune for the soundtrack to Back to the future Iii. The grou p also appeared in the movie performing the song. Quot that took All of two Days Quot Beard recalled but ask them about the blues and Zzz Toja gets serious. Since 19.88 the band members have been raising Money through Benefit concerts for the Delta blues museum in Clarksdale miss. A a a a. A.  Trio s involvement began when Gibbons donated a guitar he had built out of  of the Cabin where blues master Muddy Waters grew up. The guitar known a. As the Quot Muddy Wood Quot guitar has been displayed at hard Rock cafes throughout America. A. Quot so i you  seeing it it s got. Its own tour Beard said. A the blues  heavily on recycler a in contrast to the synthesizer heavy a Fer Burtrand 1983 a eliminate it a. A a a a. ,. A. But the group s Back to the roots mind set did t. Happen until Zzz top was already in the studio., getting. Set to record the new album. Gibbons tells the Story of How the equipment trucks were lost and the band members had two free Days on their hands. Quot it gave us an Opportunity to pick up some instruments and being on Beale Street the  Avenue in Memphis we were inspired to go Back to our roots,&Quot.Gibbons said. -. V a. Quot we had brought  that were similar to the. Material that we had done on the last two albums Quot added Beard Quot when we got into the studio we sat Down and started playing the shuffle which became my head s in Mississippi. From there we just went that direction with ,. 77 v./.77 ,.7. ,7. It was t until after recycler was  the question of ecology kept popping up in interviews that Zzz top realised the album might have some timely. Messages. A a a a a a a Quot we certainly Learned a great Deal said Gibbons. Quot the extent of recycling for Zzz top in the  our connection with automobiles a finding old cars and a making them new again. Quot but along the Way i think some deeper running / issues of items like air and water entered the picture. So recycling has become a broader  a in keeping with the album s title Zzz top s current tour stage is a giant junkyard with crushed cars and a Crane that lifts up various Auto parts.  Belt on the. Floor helps Gibbons and Hill effortlessly perform their. Famous choreographed struts and moonwalks. A a a a a a a. Recycling will probably be the extent of Zzz top s a sociological involvement. They la leave Quot message songs Quot up to others. A a. Quot there s a place for everything Quot Hill said. Quot we fall in  of just having a Good time. That s what we re about Quot. A. Zzz tops tour continues.  Quot on stage Quot listing or tour dales.8 stripes Magazine june 20, 1991