One More for the Road

ZZ Top to resume tour in Austin with tribute to late drummer Frank Beard

ZZ Top will celebrate their late drummer, Frank Beard (middle, after a show in Canada), at one of his favorite venues.

Texas rock trio ZZ Top will play a tribute to their late drummer, Frank Beard, at their scheduled Austin tour stops at ACL Live at the Moody Theater on August 22 and 23. Beard died Monday, August 17, at 77.

The band announced Beard's death in a social media statement.

Lead vocalist and songwriter Billy Gibbons wrote, "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. His signature backbeat was key to keeping ZZ on top."

ZZ Top canceled performances in Salt Lake City and Colorado Springs following Beard's death. The Austin shows will be the band's first onstage again, offering a fitting time to celebrate the Texas great. A statement on the band's website calls the Austin City Limits stage "one of Frank’s favorite venues and in a city that had been something of a second home for him."

Beard was born near Tyler in Frankston, Texas, in 1949. He was raised in Irving, outside Dallas, and the band formed in Houston in 1969. The Austin Chronicle reported in 2013 that Beard was then splitting time between a house on Lake Travis, in Austin, and Houston. He died on his ranch in Richmond, outside Houston.

ZZ Top was known for its large performances and elaborate setup, none more so than the Worldwide Texas Tour, which included a Texas-shaped stage and a collection of live Texas animals.

In 1974, the band left its mark on Austin — for better or worse — at "ZZ Top’s First Annual Texas Sized Rompin’ Stompin’ Barndance & Bar B.Q." at the University of Texas. It was the first, but also the last, since around 80,000 of the band's "friends" trashed the venue, earned the disapproval of the famous Coach Royal, and were ostensibly responsible for the venue not hosting another rock show until 1995. ZZ Top's two encores had 20 years to ring out after the legendary, if infamous show.

ZZ Top will make their upcoming Austin appearances as part of The Big One! Tour on Saturday, August 22, at 8 pm and Sunday, August 23, at 7:30 pm. Tickets are still available for both shows at acllive.com. ACL Live at the Moody Theater is located at 310 W. Willie Nelson Blvd.

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Community Music TV

Landmark new Austin City Limits season features Olivia Rodrigo and more

Olivia Rodrigo/Facebook

Olivia Rodrigo is returning to Austin City Limits, but this is her first time taking up the whole hour herself.

Though news is shifting fast to fall festivals, viewers will have more to explore from home when Season 52 of Austin City Limits premieres September 4. This season, the first produced entirely through community support, something else new is happening: every artist featured will have their own hour-long broadcast episode.

Austin City Limits debuted in 1974, and has broadcast (and at this point, preserved) everyone from up-and-coming artists to longtime legends. Hourlong shows aren't unheard of, but many episodes are shared between artists. There will also be more episodes, totaling 18 this season.

Austin City Limits announces its seasons one half a time. The first half of featured Season 52 performers are as follows:

September 4: Carlos Vives y La Provincia
September 12: Austin City Limits 12th Annual Hall of Fame Honors Brandi Carlile (with special guest Bonnie Raitt)
September 19: Billy Strings
September 26: Miguel
October 3: Sienna Spiro (debut)
October 9: Olivia Rodrigo
October 17: Ari Lennox (debut)
October 24: The Red Clay Strays (debut)
October 31: Ty Myers (debut)
November 14: Sebastián Yatra (debut)
November 21: Austin City Limits Presents: Americana 25th Annual Honors (recorded in Nashville)

In Season 51 Finneas, The Marías, Samara Joy, and Jon Batiste got their own solo episodes. My Morning Jacket also had a special broadcast to celebrate their induction into the Austin City Limits Hall of Fame. Shared episodes featured Charley Crockett and Waxahatchee, as well as Kelsea Ballerini and CAM. An episode also celebrated "Antone’s & the Blues," featuring a variety of performers.

Executive producer Terry Lickona said in a press release that the new season marks “an exciting new chapter" for the iconic show.

“Austin City Limits has always been about giving artists a stage where the music comes first and giving audiences the opportunity to discover great artists and experience unforgettable performances," said Lickona. "Expanding every episode to a full hour gives each artist the space to tell their complete story, and it gives our audience the chance to experience them the way they were meant to be seen and heard.”

This is the first fully community-supported Austin City Limits season because PBS lost federal funding in 2025. In 2026, Austin PBS started the ACL Trust, a reserve fund designed to keep the show running "for generations to come," according to the release. Supporters can contribute to the fund to make sure their donation goes straight to ACL.

Austin City Limits airs every week on PBS stations nationwide. TV schedules are available online. Full episodes are also available to stream for free on the PBS App and PBS.org. Since episodes are filmed live, guests can attend future shows. More information on future tapings is shared on the show's social media.

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