ZZ Top was supposed to play in Colorado just two nights after their drummer, Frank Beard, passed away

ZZ Top was supposed to take the stage at the Pikes Peak Center in Colorado Springs on Wednesday night (Aug. 19). Instead, Colorado fans are mourning alongside the rest of the rock world after the death of the band’s legendary drummer, Frank Beard, who passed away Monday evening at age 77.

Beard died at his ranch in Richmond, Texas, surrounded by family after a period of declining health that had already forced him off the road in recent weeks. Just hours after confirming the news Tuesday, ZZ Top canceled its upcoming shows in Salt Lake City and Colorado Springs, with the Colorado stop falling just one night after the announcement.

“Today, Elwood and I lost a great friend and collaborator, and the world lost one of the most naturally innovative drummers and a great and true son of Texas,” lead singer and guitarist Billy Gibbons said. “His signature backbeat was key to keeping ZZ on top.”

Beard had been a member of ZZ Top since the band formed in Houston in 1969, spending more than five decades behind the kit powering hits like “La Grange,” “Sharp Dressed Man” and “Legs.” He had stepped away from the band’s current tour in recent weeks to address an undisclosed health issue, with longtime tech member and percussionist John Douglas filling in. Beard was never able to return to the stage.

He is the second original member of ZZ Top to pass away, following bassist Dusty Hill, who died in 2021 at age 72. The band said it will honor Beard’s wishes and continue, with plans to resume “The Big One!” tour this weekend at Austin City Limits Live, a venue described as one of Beard’s favorites and “a city that had been something of a second home for him.”

For Colorado fans who had tickets to Wednesday’s show, it’s a painful near-miss. ZZ Top was right there, one night away from playing our state. Instead, the music stopped.