SpiritBank Event Center's Grand Opening Gala-Feature Story 1 Sept. 2008

There is an oft repeated story, or perhaps it would be a legend, that Jimi Hendrix, during an appearance on The Tonight Show in the late sixties, proclaimed his favorite guitar player to be a young Texan from the little known group, the Moving Pavements, a band that had recently opened for a few Jimi Hendrix Experience shows. The young man’s name? Billy Gibbons. And why should you care? Well, a year or so later, Gibbons met bassist Dusty Hill and drummer Frank Beard and the three formed a new band, and this September, nearly forty years later, that little old band from Texas, ZZ Top, will be playing the very first show ever at the new Spirit Bank Event Center in Bixby when the 2008 In Your Face Tour rolls into town.

That’s not a bad opening act for a new event center. All ZZ Top has done over the past four decades is sell over 50 million albums, develop a reputation as one of the world’s best live bands, grow ridiculously long beards (except, ironically, for Frank Beard, who sports a mustache) and get themselves inducted into the Rock N’ Roll Hall of Fame and designated as official Heroes of the State of Texas. And how can you resist a Texas blues-rock band whose first big hit, “La Grange,” was inspired by an infamous brothel?

That song, which appeared on the band’s third album,1973’s Tres Hombres, introduced the trio to a national audience, and began them on a steady ascent up the ladder of rock ‘n roll success. Through the mid-70s the boys continued a relentless touring schedule and released two more albums on their original label, London Records. The albums, Fandango! and Tejas continued a steady stream of rock radio hits, including “Tush” and “Arrested For Driving While Blind.” But the ZZ Top most of us now recognize, the sunglasses-wearing, bearded, classic-car driving ZZ Top was still a few years away.

Following several year’s worth of relentless touring and recording, the band went on an extended hiatus before reuniting in 1979 for a tour and album for their new label, Warner Bros. Records. Deguello spawned several more hits, including “Cheap Sunglasses,” “I Thank You,” and the increasingly appropriate, “I’m Bad, I’m Nationwide.” The band’s hot streak continued with its second Warner Bros. release, 1981’s El Loco which included “Pearl Necklace” and “Tube Snake Boogie.” It probably seemed to the Texas boys that they had reached the highest possible success. But the eighties would see ZZ Top reach heights they couldn’t have possibly dreamed of.

Maybe it was the sudden popularity of MTV. Maybe it was the band’s more pop-radio friendly, synthesized sound. Or maybe it was just the fact that they had been around long enough to know how to write and play music that folks wanted to listen to, whatever the reason , with the release of Eliminator, ZZ Top became the biggest rock n’ roll band on the planet in 1983. Behind the strength of hit singles “Gimme All Your Lovin’,” “You Got Me Under Pressure” and “Sharp Dressed Man,” along with the videos featuring plenty of hot girls and cool cars, the album went on to sell over 10 million copies and firmly established the band as a rock n’ roll juggernaut.

The band’s winning streak continued throughout the eighties and into the nineties with the Afterburner and Recycler albums and hit songs including “Velcro Fly,” “Rough Boy,” “Double Back” and “Concrete and Steel,” to name a few. As they pushed into the nineties and toward a new millennium, the guys in ZZ Top faced a different musical climate and lower record sales, but continued recording and touring. Maybe fans weren’t buying as many records as in ZZ Top’s heyday, but they have never stopped buying concert tickets, as the band sells out nearly every show it plays. And when the 4,500 seat Spirit Bank Event Center opens its doors for the first time to welcome ZZ Top and their fans, you can bet that there won’t be an empty seat in the house.

Even if you can’t make it to the ZZ Top show, the $50 million Spirit Bank Event Center has enough in the works that if you are going to be looking for something to do in the Tulsa area in the next few months, there’s a good bet that you’ll find something there to interest you. Whether it be sports, music or any number of trade shows or conventions, The Spirit Bank Event Center has something to suit any taste.

In addition to the ZZ Top show, the event center will be the new home to the Tulsa 66ers, the city’s NBA Developmental League team, and will also host the Tulsa World Gymnastics Invitational and Elite Combat League mixed martial arts. Other musical events scheduled for the upcoming months include Uncle Kracker, Steven Curtis Chapman and Michael W. Smith’s United Tour and the newly reunited Stone Temple Pilots. Plus, look for a variety of trade shows and conventions to be booked in the future. For more future events and venue and ticket information, visit www.spiritbankeventcenter.com or call Tony Heineman at (918)794-8870.
ZZ Top plays the opening night of the event center on Sunday September 28 . The event center is located at 105th and S. Memorial in Bixby. Doors open at 6:30pm and the show starts at 8pm. Tickets are $35 or $45 and can be purchased by visiting the event center website or at Coppertown Coffee shops and Indigo Joes.