01coverZZtopThe ZZ Top concert has been postponed due to an illness in the band. All previously purchased tickets for this concert will be honored for the new date when announced. For those patrons who seek a refund, please contact your point of purchase before Friday, October 20. Refunds will only be permitted before October 20 and only at your point of purchase.

ZZ Top is set to open the Community Concerts 82nd season Saturday, Oct. 20, at the Crown Complex. ZZ Top released its first album in 1971. It was aptly named “ZZ Top’s First Album.” Based in Houston, the band is still composed of its original members: bassist and lead vocalist Dusty Hill, guitarist Billy Gibbons – who is also the band’s leader, main lyricist, lead vocalist and musical arranger – and drummer Frank Beard.

“With six No. 1 singles and 10 platinum-plus selling albums, ZZ Top is one of the few groups to still have all its original members,” said Michael Fleishman, attractions director for community concerts. “ZZ Top will be one of our biggest shows ever, and it promises a night of down-home, Southern rock!”

Inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2004, ZZ Top has deep roots in blues music, claiming Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf and Jimmy Reed as sources of inspiration.

“Then again, most stack the deck with none other than Keith Richards, Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton, and of course, Peter Green,” Gibbons said. “Them all is Mount Rushmore-worthy.” In fact, as songs outside their catalog go, when it comes to the band’s favorite song, “I’d have to go with Muddy Waters’ ‘Standing Around Crying’ because you just can’t beat a song that starts ‘OH, BABY...!’ Gibbons added.

For this group, close to five decades of performing together has produced an intuitive bond that results in onstage chemistry that keeps fans mesmerized.

“We have this kind of telepathy between us,” Gibbons said. “We don’t have to necessarily speak, glance or nod to each other, but we seem to instinctively know what the other guys are about to do. Yes, we rehearse, but this is something beyond being well-prepared. It’s beyond preternatural – it’s supernatural and a case of the sum being greater than the parts.”

For the fans, it feels like magic, but for the band, it is “just us having a good time,” Gibbons said. “We get a kick out of getting out there and playing for the audience, and they, in turn, return that excitement, so things just kind of ramp up. It’s a natural, organic process that fuels itself – and us.”

Gibbons promised to keep the set list interesting for the Oct. 20 show, saying the band will be delivering “ZZ songs you know, ZZ songs you think you know but don’t really know, and some you don’t know but will get to know. It’ll be loud. And fun.”

Although they stay busy touring, the band has been spending time in the studio as their tour schedule allows.

“We’ve got a few sides down and anticipate doing some in a sequence of releases,” Gibbons said. “There’s definitely a continuum of that bluesy thing going on.”

With five concerts scheduled for this season, Community Concerts has set the bar high coming out of the gate with ZZ Top. The next four concerts of the season promise to continue the excitement.

Nov. 11, Dirty Dancing – The Classic Story on Stage brings heart-pounding music, passionate romance and sensationally sexy dancing to the Crown. The show includes “Hungry Eyes,” “Hey Baby,” “Do You Love Me?” and the anthemic “(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life.” The musical spectacular tells the story of Baby and Johnny as their summer together unfolds.

Jan. 30 brings Riverdance – the 20th Anniversary Show. The much-loved show returns with new costumes, new lighting, new projections and the addition of a brand-new number, “Anna Livia,” featuring the female members of the Irish dance troupe in an a cappella hard-shoe number.

This tour takes the show to more than 60 U.S. cities. On the show’s website, www. riverdance.com, producer Moya Doherty said, “The success of Riverdance across the whole world has gone beyond our wildest dreams. The fact that the show continues to draw and excite audiences is a tribute to every dancer, singer, musician, staff and crew member who have dedicated themselves to the show.

“This 20th Anniversary Tour is a thank you to our audiences and a celebration of what has been an incredible journey across two decades.”

The Commodores with special guest Landau Eugene Murphy take the stage Saturday, April 14. Walter “Clyde” Orange, William King and J.D. Nicholas make up this group of more than three decades. This musical powerhouse is known for hits like “Brick House,” “Night Shift,” “Three Times a Lady” and “Sail On.” The group formed in 1968 at Tuskegee University. From there, they went on the sell more than 60 million records.

Closing out the season, The Illusionists Live from Broadway showcases the talents of five incredible illusionists. The show is billed as being “packed with thrilling and sophisticated magic of unprecedented proportions.” The performance includes stunning acts of grand illusion, levitation, mindreading, disappearance and, for the first time in history, a full view water torture escape. It’s classic magic that reaches back to the likes of Harry Houdini but with a contemporary feel.

Community Concerts is on a mission to bring the finest in top-notch entertainment to Fayetteville and the Fort Bragg/ Cumberland County community. The driving force behind this organization is its passion for the community. Bringing amazing performers to the area could be enough – but Community Concerts does not stop there. In 2008, Community Concerts founded the Fayetteville Music Hall of Fame “to honor those who have brought musical distinction to the community,” inducting new members each year.

Local high school students benefit from college music scholarships from Community Concerts – a tradition for the organization since 2004. The program has generously awarded more than 28 scholarships.

While bringing great music to Fayetteville is an important part of its mission, Community Concerts supports local musicians as well through its local artist showcase program. In recent years, Voices of the Heart appeared as an opener for Gladys Knight while children from the Linda Kinlaw School of Dance performed with Martina McBride. Local, emerging country music star Trae Edwards performed the Ricky Skaggs show as well.

Community Concerts provides free concert opportunities to groups ranging from children to deserving seniors. In recent seasons, recipients have included people at the Vision Resource Center, Urban Ministry, The Sunshine Center, members of local fire and police departments, high school theater art classes, members of our military, and many more.

To purchase tickets, or to find out more about Community Concerts, visit  www.community-concerts.com.