Dusty Hill’s Bass Parts In Their Live “Pincushion” In Letterman Is Smooth

ZZ Top is among the few rock bands who could easily play a blues-rock song with nothing but pure greatness. These Texas trio of Billy Gibbons, Dusty Hill, and Frank Beard are among the artists worth their salt when it comes to performing live shows, both on TV and in concerts.

For this unearthed 1994 performance of ZZ Top back on the Late Show with David Letterman, they played “Pincushion” to promote their newly-released album, Antenna. It was a hit in both the US (peaking at no. 1) and in the UK charts (peaking at no. 15).

The chemistry between the three is wildly unfathomable. Beard’s drumbeat is superior, making everyone proclaim how great he is at his drumming skills. Billy Gibbons, of course, is the cream of the crop, providing the necessary riffs for a perfectly great record. Yet, it was Dusty Hill’s bass tone that captured and control the whole situation.

Hill may be the most underrated bassist of all time, yet he sure knows how to give the backbone of a good ZZ Top song. Absolutely no one could do it the way he did it, and that made him an icon of today’s music. The clean lines to support the other two’s instruments and his calming noodling of his instrument is therapeutic. We salute him, by all means.

Listen and watch their performance below.