ZZ Top’s longtime drummer Frank Beard has been dealing with health issues that led to the band canceling its Hollywood Bowl concert last week, according to Rolling Stone.
A spokesperson for the group said Billy Gibbons and Elwood Francis will keep the tour moving forward, with Michael Monahan stepping in on drums for Beard.
The update came just days after ZZ Top abruptly called off its Los Angeles show. In a statement posted to social media, Gibbons said “insurmountable obstacles” required the Hollywood Bowl performance to be canceled and thanked fans for their patience during the brief interruption.
Beard has previously taken time away from the band for health reasons. ZZ Top announced last year that he would temporarily step away from the tour to recover, and in 2002 drum tech John Douglas filled in when Beard underwent an emergency appendectomy.
Beard has played with ZZ Top for more than 55 years, from the band’s First Album in 1971 through La Futura in 2012. ZZ Top’s The Big One tour still has upcoming stops across North America, including dates in Washington, Oregon, Utah, Colorado, Texas and other states.
