Beer Drinkers and Hell Raisers Tour

The Beer Drinkers and Hell Raisers Tour was a concert tour through North America and Europe, undertaken by American rock band ZZ Top.[1][2] Arranged in support of their 2003 album Mescalero, the band visited arenas, amphitheaters, and festivals from 2003 to 2004. To match the artistic theme that the group created with Mescalero, the tour was intended to differ from their past and surpass expectations of the band. Contrary to ZZ Top's elaborately staged multimedia events from previous tours, the Beer Drinkers and Hell Raisers Tour was a modest stage setup. It utilized minimalism by adorning "Mescalero" themed props on its stage. To escape their reputation for using stage gimmicks, ZZ Top embodied a more staid and focused image on tour. The Beer Drinkers and Hell Raisers Tour was central to Mescalero′s success.

Beer Drinkers and Hell Raisers Tour
World tour by ZZ Top
A black poster with loud colors occupying most of it. The image shows ZZ Top facing forward as Billy Gibbons has his hands resting on the headstock of a guitar. The text on the poster reads "ZZ Top Beer Drinkers and Hellraisers Tour".
LocationNorth America, Europe
Associated albumMescalero
Start dateApril 25, 2003
End dateSeptember 25, 2004
Legs5
No. of shows137
ZZ Top concert chronology

The tour's concept was inspired by resemblances of Mexico and the American Southwest. The stage featured a plaster model of a cantina doorway that was decorated with glitter and neon finish. Day of the Dead skeletons, sombreros and a toast were incorporated into the shows. On stage, both Billy Gibbons and Dusty Hill donned several costumes they designed, including rhinestone-embellished serapes, jackets, and oversized cowboy hats. In contrast to other ZZ Top tours, each of the Beer Drinkers and Hell Raisers shows opened with four to ten consecutive older songs before newer material was played.

Consisting of five legs and 137 shows, the tour began in Bossier City, Louisiana on April 25, 2003 and ended in Las Vegas, Nevada on September 25, 2004. The band visited the United States, Europe, and Mexico during the first four legs, before the final leg alternated with visits between the US and Canada. After the first four legs, the tour's itinerary was expanded for fairs, festivals, and casinos during the final leg, which was branded accordingly as a summer excursion. Although the tour provoked a variety of reactions from music critics, it was generally well received. Along with being one of the top-grossing North American tours of 2003 and 2004, Beer Drinkers and Hell Raisers sold over half-a-million tickets over its five legs. The band's compilation albums, Chrome, Smoke & BBQ and Rancho Texicano, were released during breaks in the tour, and most of their songs were incorporated into the main set. Critics held the Beer Drinkers and Hell Raisers Tour in high regard—in the Worcester Telegram & Gazette, Scott McLennan described the show as "a joyride".[3]

Tour dates
List of concerts, showing date, city, country, venue, tickets sold, number of available tickets and amount of gross revenue
Date City Country Venue Opening Act(s) Attendance Revenue
Leg 1: arenas and amphitheaters in the United States[4]
April 25, 2003 Bossier City United States CenturyTel Center Ted Nugent 6,300 / 7,500 $248,850
April 26, 2003 Birmingham Oak Mountain Amphitheatre Ted Nugent, Gov't Mule — —
April 29, 2003 Selma Verizon Wireless Amphitheater Kenny Wayne Shepherd
April 30, 2003 Laredo Laredo Entertainment Center
May 2, 2003 Jackson Mississippi Coliseum Ted Nugent
May 3, 2003 Oklahoma City Ford Center 7,961 / 10,000 $314,460
May 4, 2003 Memphis Tom Lee Park Robert Randolph and the Family Band, Cowboy Mouth — —
May 7, 2003 West Palm Beach Sound Advice Amphitheatre Ted Nugent, Kenny Wayne Shepherd
May 9, 2003 Raleigh Alltel Pavilion at Walnut Creek
May 10, 2003 Charlotte Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre Charlotte
May 11, 2003 Virginia Beach GTE Virginia Beach Amphitheater
May 13, 2003 Bristow Nissan Pavilion
May 14, 2003 Columbus Germain Amphitheater
May 16, 2003 Pittsburgh Post Gazette Pavilion
May 17, 2003 Noblesville Verizon Wireless Music Center 9,594 / 24,790
May 18, 2003 Cleveland Tower City Amphitheater —
May 20, 2003 Mansfield Tweeter Center for the Performing Arts
May 21, 2003 Camden Tweeter Center at the Waterfront
May 23, 2003 Clarkston DTE Energy Music Theatre Kenny Wayne Shepherd 15,202 / 15,202 $366,578
May 24, 2003 Tinley Park Tweeter Center Chicago Ted Nugent, Kenny Wayne Shepherd — —
May 25, 2003 East Troy Alpine Valley Music Theatre 5,791 / 37,000 $221,422
May 27, 2003 Cincinnati Riverbend Music Center — —
May 30, 2003 Nashville AmSouth Amphitheatre
May 31, 2003 Maryland Heights UMB Bank Pavilion
June 1, 2003 Bonner Springs Verizon Wireless Amphitheater Kansas City
June 3, 2003 Albuquerque Journal Pavilion
June 4, 2003 Phoenix Cricket Wireless Pavilion
June 6, 2003 Marysville Sleep Train Amphitheatre
June 7, 2003 Devore Hyundai Pavilion
June 8, 2003 Mountain View Shoreline Amphitheatre
June 12, 2003 Tulsa Tulsa Convention Center Kenny Wayne Shepherd
June 13, 2003 Austin Frank Erwin Center
June 14, 2003 Dallas American Airlines Center
June 17, 2003 New Orleans Lakefront Arena Ted Nugent
June 18, 2003 Pensacola Pensacola Civic Center
June 20, 2003 Orlando TD Waterhouse Centre
June 21, 2003 Duluth Gwinnett Civic Center Arena
Leg 2: arenas and festivals in Europe[4]
July 4, 2003 Sundsvall Sweden Stora Scenen GES, Dilba — —
July 5, 2003 Sunne Rottneros Park
July 6, 2003 Oslo Norway Rockefeller Music Hall
July 8, 2003 Schwerin Germany Sport- und Kongresshalle Mike Tramp
July 9, 2003 Bonn Museumsplatz
July 11, 2003 Weert Netherlands Bospop Gary Moore, Motörhead
July 12, 2003 Oberkorn Luxembourg Centre Sportif de Differdange Born
July 14, 2003 Montereau France Parc des Noues Van Wilks, Reverend Blues Gang 2,700 / 10,000
July 16, 2003 Helsinki Finland Helsinki Olympic Stadium The Hellacopters —
July 18, 2003 Erfurt Germany Messe Erfurt Mike Tramp
July 20, 2003 Montreux Switzerland Auditorium Stravinski Krokus
July 21, 2003 Zürich Landesmuseum Zürich Le Vibrazioni
July 23, 2003 Budapest Hungary Petofi Csarnok
July 24, 2003 Dresden Germany Elbe Mike Tramp
July 25, 2003 Lauda-Königshofen Tauber-Franken-Halle
July 27, 2003 Birmingham England Carling Academy Birmingham The Vaults
July 28, 2003 Newcastle Telewest Arena
July 29, 2003 Liverpool Liverpool Summer Pops
July 30, 2003 London Carling Academy Brixton
August 1, 2003 Xanten Germany Amphitheatre Mike Tramp
August 5, 2003 Hannover Gilde Parkbühne
August 6, 2003 Hamburg Hamburg Stadtpark
August 7, 2003 Skanderborg Denmark Smukfest Kashmir, Robert Plant
August 9, 2003 Liège Belgium Plaine des Templiers Mass Hysteria, Machiavel
August 11, 2003 Colmar France Théâtre de Plein Air de Colmar
Leg 3: arenas and amphitheaters in the United States[4]
August 20, 2003 Las Vegas United States Mandalay Bay Events Center Franky Perez — —
August 22, 2003 Kelseyville Konocti Harbor
August 23, 2003 Stateline Harveys Outdoor Arena
August 24, 2003 Lancaster Antelope Valley Fair
August 26, 2003 Englewood Fiddler's Green Amphitheatre Jimmie Vaughan
August 27, 2003 Lincoln Bob Devaney Sports Center Franky Perez
August 29, 2003 Grand Rapids Van Andel Arena Ted Nugent
August 31, 2003 Brookfield Yankee Lake Ted Nugent, Left End
September 3, 2003 Portland Cumberland County Civic Center Ted Nugent
September 5, 2003 Gilford Meadowbrook Musical Arts Center
September 6, 2003 Big Flats Summer Stage at Tags
September 7, 2003 Hershey Giant Center David Lee Roth
September 12, 2003 Green Bay Resch Center Ted Nugent
September 13, 2003 Somerset Float Rite Park Amphitheatre
September 17, 2003 West Valley City USANA Amphitheatre
September 19, 2003 Ridgefield Clark County Amphitheater
September 20, 2003 George Gorge Amphitheatre 8,610 / 13,500 $423,518
Leg 4: arenas and amphitheaters in North America[4]
November 5, 2003 Coarsegold United States Chukchansi Gold Resort & Casino — —
November 7, 2003 Bakersfield Bakersfield Centennial Garden Franky Perez
November 8, 2003 Santa Barbara Santa Barbara Bowl
November 9, 2003 Castaic Castaic Lake State Recreation Area Lee Rocker
November 14, 2003 Mexico City Mexico Palacio de los Deportes Tex Tex
November 20, 2003 Knoxville United States Knoxville Civic Coliseum Cross Canadian Ragweed
November 21, 2003 Robinsonville Grand Casino Tunica
November 22, 2003 Houston Compaq Center Los Lobos, Cross Canadian Ragweed
Leg 5: arenas and amphitheaters in North America ("El Cabron Tour")[5]
June 25, 2004 Wichita Falls United States Kay Yeager Coliseum The Fabulous Thunderbirds — —
June 26, 2004 Beaumont Ford Park Hank Williams Jr., Chris LeBlanc Band 14,272 / 14,272 $131,919
June 28, 2004 Hidalgo Dodge Arena Reckless Kelly 6,578 / 6,578 —
July 1, 2004 Mount Pleasant Soaring Eagle Casino & Resort —
July 3, 2004 Muskegon Heritage Landing Landing Strip 17,000 / 17,000
July 4, 2004 Tinley Park Tweeter Center Chicago The Doors of the 21st Century, Tesla —
July 5, 2004 Lansing Common Ground Music Festival Gunner Ross and TNT
July 8, 2004 Kelowna Canada Westside Bluff Phat Betty, Mocking Shadows
July 10, 2004 Craven Qu'Appelle Valley Nazareth, Spin Doctors
July 11, 2004 Camrose Camrose Exhibition Grounds Sum 41, The Tea Party
July 14, 2004 Walker United States Moondance Jam Chris Robinson, Randall Zwarte Band
July 16, 2004 Sarnia Canada Sarnia Bayfest 9 House, The 88's
July 17, 2004 St. Clairsville United States Jamboree in the Hills Chris LeDoux, Jo Dee Messina 21,624 / 35,000 $651,083
July 23, 2004 Minot North Dakota State Fair — —
July 24, 2004 Cheyenne Cheyenne Frontier Days Marshall Tucker Band
July 25, 2004 Winter Park Winter Park Resort War, Dave Mason
July 28, 2004 Pala Pala Casino Resort and Spa
July 30, 2004 Kelseyville Konocti Harbor Cross Canadian Ragweed
July 31, 2004 Paso Robles Mid-State Fairgrounds Grandstand Reckless Kelly
August 1, 2004 Costa Mesa Pacific Amphitheatre
August 3, 2004 Kennewick Three Rivers Coliseum Cross Canadian Ragweed
August 5, 2004 Deer Island Columbia Meadows
August 6, 2004 Spokane Riverfront Park
August 7, 2004 Great Falls Four Seasons Arena 4,079 / 5,870 $155,002
August 9, 2004 Sturgis Buffalo Chip Campground — —
August 10, 2004 Sioux Falls Sioux Empire Fair
August 11, 2004 Hayward LCO Casino Lodge & Convention Center
August 13, 2004 Sedalia Missouri State Fair Franky Perez
August 14, 2004 Oklahoma City Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden Cardboard Vampyres
August 16, 2004 Atlanta Chastain Park Amphitheater
August 20, 2004 Louisville Freedom Hall Saliva
August 21, 2004 Lima Allen County Fair
August 24, 2004 Pueblo Colorado State Fair
August 26, 2004 Green Bay Oneida Casino Pavilion
August 27, 2004 St. Paul Minnesota State Fair Silvertide
September 1, 2004 Syracuse New York State Fair Cross Canadian Ragweed 5,828 / 16,000
September 2, 2004 Allentown Allentown Fairgrounds Reckless Kelly 5,440 / 10,440 $212,160
September 3, 2004 Essex Junction Champlain Valley Fairgrounds Grandstand — —
September 10, 2004 Blackfoot Eastern Idaho State Fair
September 11, 2004 Grand Junction Country Jam Ranch Dickey Betts, Eddie Money
September 12, 2004 Albuquerque Sandia Casino Amphitheater
September 16, 2004 Puyallup Puyallup Fair
September 17, 2004 Bend Les Schwab Amphitheater Eric Sardinas
September 18, 2004 Reno Reno Hilton Cowboy Mouth
September 20, 2004 Laughlin Flamingo Laughlin
September 21, 2004
September 23, 2004 Alpine Viejas Casino
September 24, 2004 Las Vegas Las Vegas Hilton
September 25, 2004

See also

References
  1. "ZZ Top, Nugent Crack Open A Cold One". Billboard. Retrieved 2018-02-14.
  2. Daniels, Neil (2014-01-01). Beer Drinkers & Hell Raisers: A ZZ Top Guide. Soundcheck Books. ISBN 9780957144279.
  3. McLennan, Scott (May 21, 2003). "ZZ Top hits the spot with fans at Tweeter - Craftsmanship, sheer music chemistry a joy". Worcester Telegram & Gazette. p. C5.
  4. Zurich, Peter. "Past ZZ Top Concerts". Little ol' Web Page from Texas. Archived from the original on August 5, 2017. Retrieved September 14, 2017.
  5. Zurich, Peter. "Past ZZ Top Concerts". Little ol' Web Page from Texas. Archived from the original on August 5, 2017. Retrieved September 14, 2017.
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