After being forced to skip ZZ Top’s tour of Australia and New Zealand due to health issues, drummer Frank Beard is ready to rejoin the lineup.
The band announced that Beard will be back with the group when they kick off the North American leg of their Elevation tour on June 1 in Victoria, British Columbia.
A statement from the band’s management reveals that Beard had been suffering from “foot and ankle issues” but “he’s now set to see the tour through to its completion in October.”
“We’re happy that Frank is back with (bassist) Elwood (Francis) and yours truly, BFG,” ZZ Top’s Billy F. Gibbons shares. “We missed him and are looking forward to turning it up and rocking out with him as has been the case for the last few hundred or so decades.”
He adds, “His complete recovery is cause for celebration and that’s just what we intend to do on an open-ended basis. Welcome back, pardner!”
Beard adds, “It’s good to be back. See you out there.”
It was originally announced in March that Beard had “temporarily stepped away” from the band’s tour “to attend a health issue requiring his focus in the near term.” In April that break was extended to their tour of Australia and New Zealand.
ZZ Top will play six shows in Canada, before bringing the tour to the U.S. on June 10 in Moorhead, Minnesota. A complete list of dates can be found at ZZTop.com.
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