ZZ Top Drummer Shake-Up: Frank Beard Takes Leave, Replacement Steps In!

ZZ Top is set to continue its "The Big One" summer U.S. tour, but without the presence of its longtime drummer, Frank Beard. A spokesperson for the band confirmed to Rolling Stone that the tour will proceed with founding vocalist-guitarist Billy Gibbons and Elwood Francis, who has served as late co-founder bassist Dusty Hill’s longtime guitar tech and joined the group following Hill’s passing in 2021.

As of recent reports, a ZZ Top spokesperson informed Billboard that Beard will not be completing the current leg of the tour, with drummer Michael Monahan stepping in as a temporary replacement. No further details regarding Beard’s condition or the specific reason for his absence have been disclosed.

This development follows the band’s decision a week prior to cancel their scheduled performance at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles without much advance notice. A social media post from the band’s management at the time attributed the cancellation to "unforeseen personnel matters," though no additional information about the cause has been revealed. Billy Gibbons addressed the cancellation, stating that "insurmountable obstacles require canceling our Hollywood Bowl performance. 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."

While the precise reason for Beard's current hiatus from the road remains unclear, the 77-year-old drummer, who has been an integral part of ZZ Top for over 55 years since joining in 1969, has experienced several health issues in recent years. In March of the previous year, the band announced that Beard had "temporarily stepped away from the current tour to attend a health issue requiring his focus in the near term." During that period, longtime drum tech John Douglas filled in, a role he also took on in October 2022 when Beard was forced to miss a Paris show due to an emergency appendectomy.

Following his return after these earlier absences, the band clarified that Beard had been dealing with foot and ankle issues. Upon his successful return to the stage, Gibbons expressed his relief, stating, “We’re happy that Frank is back with Elwood [Francis, bassist] and yours truly, BFG. We missed him and are looking looking forward to turning it up and rocking out with him as has been the case for the last few hundred or so decades. His complete recovery is cause for celebration and that’s just what we intend to do on an open-ended basis. Welcome back, pardner!”

Frank Beard has contributed his drumming to every ZZ Top record, from their 1971 debut, "First Album," through their most recent LP, 2012’s "La Futura." The ongoing "The Big One" tour has upcoming stops scheduled across the U.S., including locations in Washington, Oregon, Utah, Colorado, Texas, Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and North Carolina. The final U.S. performance is set for Port Wentworth, Georgia, on October 9, before the band moves on to international gigs in Mexico and South America in November.