Watch ZZ Top Kick Off Aussie Tour with a Very Strange Instrument

For some, rock and roll is as simple as whipping out a guitar and tearing it to shreds. For others, namely, ZZ Top’s Elwood Francis rock and roll comes in a different shape. A comically huge seventeen string yellow bass guitar.

The Texas trio are back on Australian soil for the first time in over a decade, and in true ZZ Top fashion, things got gloriously weird. Kicking off their tour in Perth, the Texan blues rock icons were clearly not here to mess about. Even if they were playing a guitar that resembled more of a surfboard.

The band, who are currently touring the country with George Thorogood & The Destroyers as part of the Elevation Tour, did not miss a beat.

Though much of the audience found themselves squinting throughout the night to make sense of what exactly Francis was holding. A novelty bass so oversized it made his torso disappear.

Yes, it’s real. And no, it didn’t come from Fender. As Francis explained earlier this year, it’s something he stumbled across during a late-night internet rabbit hole. “I found it on some sketchy Chinese website and thought it’d be hilarious,” he said. “So I sent it to Billy [Gibbons] and said, ‘Let’s get this. I’ll play it.’”

The Perth crowd subsequently bursting into cheers, laughter, and general disbelief. And to Francis’ credit, he gave the thing a red-hot crack, even if he did admit later, “I hate playing that fucking bass.”

Naturally, the fashion didn’t disappoint either. Gibbons, now 75, rocked a cactus-and-skeleton embroidered jacket that was equal parts Day of the Dead and Vegas rodeo. Francis matched him in sequinned pants, a grey fedora, and ruby red boots—just in case the crowd wasn’t already dazzled by the 17 strings of chaos.

Midway through the set, the boys ditched the yellow monstrosity and switched into a more classic look. Purple jackets and black four-strings.

The Elevation Tour continues this week with stops in the Hunter Valley, Wollongong, Melbourne, Bribie Island and Sydney.

If you’re heading along, keep your eyes peeled. You might not understand what you’re looking at. But you will know you’re in the presence of some serious rock theatre. And possibly a weaponised bass guitar.

You can purchase tickets to the rest of ZZ Top’s Australian tour here.