'Hip Issue' Sidelines ZZ Top Bass Player For Tuscaloosa Show

TUSCALOOSA, AL — There will be one less iconic beard on stage at the Tuscaloosa Amphitheater this upcoming Friday as ZZ Top bass player Dusty Hill has temporarily left the tour to return home due to a "hip issue," the rock band announced over the weekend.

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The band informed fans of the news about Hill, 72, and wished him a speedy recovery, before saying Elwood Francis — the group's guitar tech for the last two decades — will fill in on bass, slider guitar and harmonica.

ZZ Top is set to play the Tuscaloosa Amphitheater this Friday as one of the first major shows of the 2021 concert season.

Despite Hill temporarily taking to the sidelines, Gibbons promised fans the experience that has made the group one of the most successful in rock history.

“And with Elwood to our right, rest assured ZZ Top will deliver their good time, signature show," said guitarist and vocal Billy Gibbons in an official statement. "Elwood securing the bottom end continues the delivery with those famous three chords we all dig."

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