ZZ Top Cancel Hollywood Bowl Concert Over Personnel Matters

ZZ Top were forced to pull the plug on their headline show at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles. The concert, which was scheduled to feature special guests Cheap Trick, was called off just hours before it was set to begin.

Insurmountable Obstacles and Personnel Issues

In a statement released via social media, frontman Billy Gibbons pointed to major hurdles facing the band. “Insurmountable obstacles require canceling our Hollywood Bowl performance,” Gibbons wrote. “Friends, fans and followers of ZZ Top are the best in the business and the band is counting on everyone to bear with us for this brief interruption.”

Management for the band elaborated further, attributing the sudden decision to unforeseen personnel matters that made the Los Angeles appearance impossible. The Hollywood Bowl confirmed that all ticket holders, including those with transportation and parking passes, will receive automatic refunds to their original payment methods within five to seven business days without requiring any action.

Cheap Trick Pivots to the Troubadour

With the outdoor venue date suddenly off the table, tourmates Cheap Trick made a rapid pivot. The band announced a very special and intimate headline show at the legendary Troubadour in West Hollywood for the exact same night, which sold out in rapid time.

As it stands, the Hollywood Bowl cancellation appears to be an isolated incident. ZZ Top’s active tour schedule lists upcoming dates continuing through the weekend in cities like Fresno, California, and Saratoga, New York, with extensive touring slated throughout the year.

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On November 2, The Beatles released “the last Beatles song.” This new recording, “Now and Then,” is a creation that builds upon an original 1970s John Lennon demo, incorporating subsequent contributions from the remaining three Beatles.

Crafting ” Now And Then “: Behind the Scenes

In a manner similar to the development of “Free as a Bird” and “Real Love” as part of the 1990s Beatles Anthology, “Now and Then” adopts a comparable approach. However, there’s a notable twist to this endeavor—Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, and their team reportedly utilized artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance Lennon’s vocal, a technological innovation not available during the time of the Anthology project.

Paul McCartney initially revealed the existence of “Now and Then” in June. During a Radio 4’s Today interview, he referred to it as “the final Beatles record” and explained how AI played a pivotal role in “extracting” Lennon’s voice from the vintage demo recording to bring the song to completion, as reported by the BBC.Subsequently, in the same month, McCartney clarified the role of AI in the process. He stated, “We’ve seen some confusion and speculation about it. To be clear, nothing has been artificially or synthetically created. It’s all real, and we all play on it. We cleaned up some existing recordings—a process which has gone on for years. We hope you love it as much as we do.”

A music video for “Now and Then” is scheduled for release today, on Friday, November 3. (you can now watch it at the end of this page). Additionally, a mini-documentary about the song’s creation premiered on Wednesday, November 1, and can be watched below the track.

Why the Song Wasn’t Released in the 70s?

As described in a press release, the story of “Now and Then” originates in the late 1970s when John recorded a demo featuring vocals and piano at his residence in New York’s Dakota Building. In 1994, his wife, Yoko Ono Lennon, shared the recording with Paul, George, and Ringo, alongside John’s demos for “Free As A Bird” and “Real Love,” both of which were transformed into new Beatles songs and released as singles in 1995 and 1996 as part of The Beatles Anthology project.

During this time, Paul, George, and Ringo added new components and completed an initial mix of “Now and Then” with producer Jeff Lynne. Unfortunately, technological constraints at the time made it impossible to isolate John’s vocals and piano to achieve the clear, unadulterated mix required to finish the song. As a result, “Now and Then” was put on hold with the hope of revisiting it someday.

In 2022, Paul and Ringo revisited the song, meticulously piecing it together. Apart from John’s vocals, “Now and Then” features electric and acoustic guitar recordings from George in 1995, Ringo’s newly recorded drum section, and contributions from Paul on bass, guitar, and piano, closely aligned with John’s original performance. Paul also added a slide guitar solo inspired by George, and both he and Ringo provided backing vocals for the chorus.