ZZ Top brought their Elevation Tour to Albany’s Palace Theatre on September 24, delivering a hit-heavy career retrospective. Knoxville’s The Sedonas delivered a solid set, led by kinetic frontman James Connor Wike.

Review and Photos by Pat Rogers for NYS Music

(l-r) Elwood Francis and Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top at the Palace Theatre (September 24, 2025) – photo by Pat Rogers for NYS Music

That contrast gave the night its resonance. The world around them has morphed in ways no one could have imagined, but onstage, ZZ Top is still ZZ Top. 

– Pat Rogers for NYS Music

Photos of ZZ Top by Mark Kurtzner for 518scene.com

ZZ Top at Saratoga Performing Arts Center (September 24, 2025) – photo by Mark Kurtzner for 518scene.com

Photos by Timothy Reidy for RadioRadioX

(l-r) Elwood Francis and Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top at the Palace Theatre (September 24, 2025) – photo by Timothy Reidy for RadioRadioX

Review and Photos by Ed Conway for Mirth Films

… it was nice to see his handpicked successor, Elwood Francis, solidly accepted as a full member of the band. Vocalist/Guitarist Billy Gibbons looked at Francis, not as a hired gun, but compatriot throughout the evening all while drummer Frank Beard (the one without a beard) locked in to the low end.

– Ed Conway for Mirth Films