Foto: Anne-Marie Forker
There are bands that age gracefully, and then there are bands that seem almost immune to time. On Thursday evening at OverOslo, ZZ Top arrived on the hilltop stage at Grefsenkollen, only 2 years after their appearance at Tons of Rock, and delivered 75 minutes of blues-rock that felt reassuringly unchanged, yet far from tired.
The Texas veterans opened with the muscular groove of "Got Me Under Pressure" at kl 22, still under sunlight. There would be no elaborate reinvention, no attempt to modernise a formula that has worked for more than five decades. Instead, ZZ Top leaned into what they do best: sharp riffs, deep grooves and songs built to be played loud. At the beginning, Gibbons' guitar was not loud enough, but as the gig progressed, the sound improved.
The early pairing of "Waitin' for the Bus" and "Jesus Just Left Chicago" was a reminder of the band's roots in blues rather than MTV. Billy Gibbons' guitar tone remained unmistakable—dirty, economical and endlessly expressive. "Gimme All Your Lovin'" drew one of the night's biggest singalongs, while "Cheap Sunglasses" and "I'm Bad, I'm Nationwide" showcased the band's effortless blend of swagger and humour. The crowd, which had spent the day moving between Norwegian pop acts and singer-songwriters, suddenly found itself transported to a Texas roadhouse.
Merle Travis's "Sixteen Tons" was played, which highlighted the deep American musical traditions that have always informed ZZ Top's sound. The final stretch was a masterclass in crowd management. "Sharp Dressed Man" and "Legs" generated waves of recognition across the crowd. After leaving the stage, the band returned for a brief encore with "Thunderbird" a fittingly understated ending to a performance that never relied on spectacle, other than a colourful stage. The songs were enough. The beards may be whiter, but at OverOslo 2026, ZZ Top proved that authenticity never goes out of fashion.
