houston band tour dates

Concerts in Houston, Texas 2024 - 2025

Upcoming concerts in houston, tx (351), the best cities for concerts near houston, tx.

• Sugar Land, TX · 19 miles / 22 gigs
• The Woodlands, TX · 29 miles / 17 gigs
• Lake Charles, LA · 133 miles / 14 gigs
• Austin, TX · 146 miles / 373 gigs
• Cedar Park, TX · 155 miles / 15 gigs
• New Braunfels, TX · 165 miles / 29 gigs
• Corpus Christi, TX · 183 miles / 18 gigs
• San Antonio, TX · 189 miles / 140 gigs

Top Tours · Just Announced · USA · Europe · 2025 Tours

Terms of Service · Privacy and Cookie Policy · Contact © Concertful

DEF LEPPARD AND JOURNEY ANNOUNCE SUMMER STADIUM TOUR 2024 WITH STEVE MILLER BAND, HEART AND CHEAP TRICK

Rock brigade pre-sale tue. dec 12 tickets on sale fri. dec 15.

Def Leppard and Journey are teaming up for the Summer Stadium Tour 2024 with Steve Miller Band, Heart, and Cheap Trick! The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Icons are once again coming together for a night of hits.

Rock Brigade Concert Club members will get exclusive first access to pre-sale tickets and VIP Packages starting Tuesday, December 12 at 10am local time. 

Visit  DefLeppardRockBrigade.com  to sign-up and claim your tickets.

Def Leppard VIP Packages Include: • A Premium Ticket • Individual Photo with Def Leppard • Exclusive Merchandise • And More!

General tickets for all dates will go on sale Fri. December 15 at 10am local time.

2024 TOUR DATES July 6 – St. Louis, MO (Busch Stadium)^ July 10 – Orlando, FL (Camping World Stadium)^ July 13 – Atlanta, GA (Truist Park)* July 15 – Chicago, IL (Wrigley Field)* July 18 – Detroit, MI (Comerica Park)* July 20 – Nashville, TN (Nissan Stadium)* July 23 – Philadelphia, PA (Citizens Bank Park)* July 25 – Hershey, PA (Hersheypark Stadium)* July 27 – Pittsburgh, PA (PNC Park)* July 30 – Cleveland, OH (Progressive Field)+ August 2 – Toronto, ON (Rogers Centre)+ August 5 – Boston, MA (Fenway Park)+ August 7 – Flushing, NY (Citi Field)* August 12 – Arlington, TX (Globe Life Field)* August 14 – Houston, TX (Minute Maid Park)* August 16 – San Antonio, TX (Alamodome)* August 19 – Minneapolis, MN (Target Field)* August 23 – Phoenix, AZ (Chase Field)* August 25 – Los Angeles, CA (SoFi Stadium)* August 28 – San Francisco, CA (Oracle Park)* August 30 – San Diego, CA (Petco Park)* September 4 – Seattle, WA (T-Mobile Park)^ September 8 – Denver, CO (Coors Field)^ *with Steve Miller Band ^with Cheap Trick +with Heart

Register for General Pre-sale on Tue. December 12 (11am) at https://defleppardjourney2024.com/

The Rolling Stones Announce ‘Hackney Diamonds’ North American Stadium Tour

By Andy Greene

Andy Greene

The Rolling Stones are hitting stadiums across North America in 2024 to celebrate the release of their new album, Hackney Diamonds . The 16-city tour (which includes a headlining slot at Jazz Fest in New Orleans) kicks off April 28 at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas, and wraps up July 17 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California. Ticket sales begin December 1 at 10:00 am.

Hackney Diamonds is the first Rolling Stones album of new material since 2005’s A Bigger Bang . Produced by Andrew Watt and featuring guest appearances by Paul McCartney, Elton John, Stevie Wonder, and Lady Gaga, the album was met with near-universal acclaim. “A collection of bangers (old-school division) that nobody in their right mind had a right to expect in 2023,” Rolling Stone ’s David Browne wrote, “Hackney Diamonds isn’t just another new Stones album, but a vibrant and cohesive record — the first Stones album in ages you’ll want to crank more than once before filing away.”

Trump Eats Words, Says He'll Vote to Preserve Florida's Six-Week Abortion Ban

Trump suggests gold star families to blame for arlington cemetery controversy, ‘suckers,’ ‘losers,’ jokes about medals: trump doesn’t understand the military, ‘it ends with us’ crew members say justin baldoni and blake lively’s creative differences were not a secret on set.

Here are the dates for The Rolling Stones ’24 Hackney Diamonds tour.

April 28 – Houston, TX @ RG Stadium May 2 – New Orleans, LA @ Jazz Fest May 7 – Glendale, AZ @ State Farm Stadium May 11 – Las Vegas, NV @ Allegiant Stadium May 15 – Seattle, WA @ Lumen Field May 23 – East Rutherford, NJ @ MetLife Stadium May 30 – Foxboro, MA @ Gillette Stadium June 3 – Orlando, FL @ Camping World Stadium June 7 – Atlanta, GA @ Mercedes-Benz Stadium June 11 – Philadelphia, PA @ Lincoln Financial Field June 15 – Cleveland, OH @ Cleveland Browns Stadium June 20 – Denver, CO @ Empower Field at Mile High June 27 – Chicago, IL @ Soldier Field July 5 – Vancouver, BC @ BC Place July 10 – Los Angeles, CA @ SoFi Stadium July 17 – Santa Clara, CA @ Levi’s Stadium

Asake’s Madison Square Garden Debut Connects the Corners of the Earth

• Live Review
• By Mankaprr Conteh

Fatman Scoop, 'Be Faithful' Rapper, Dead at 53

• By Daniel Kreps

'Rose Melberg Invented Sad Girl': The Triumphant Return of the Softies

• dynamic duo
• By Rob Sheffield

Oasis Fans Face Crashes, Bots and Dynamic Pricing as Reunion Tickets Go On Sale

Fatman scoop suffers medical emergency on stage, transported to hospital.

• Scoop Update
• By Charisma Madarang

Most Popular

Winona ryder gets frustrated by her younger co-stars who 'are not interested in movies': 'the first thing they say' is 'how long is it', all about rfk jr.'s daughter kick kennedy amid rumors she's dating ben affleck, tim burton explains why alec baldwin and geena davis aren't in 'beetlejuice' sequel, mariah carey's mother and sister die the same day, singer confirms: "my heart is broken", you might also like, gillian welch and david rawlings on the tornado that hit their studio, how lockdown affected their new album, ‘woodland,’ and being ‘undaunted by life’s destructive moments’, 21 must-have fashion and beauty products to invest in for fall, the best yoga mats for any practice, according to instructors, ‘the order’ review: it’s time for justin kurzel to consider a topic that isn’t the male criminal psyche, portland, bhathal family get wnba expansion franchise.

Rolling Stone is a part of Penske Media Corporation. © 2024 Rolling Stone, LLC. All rights reserved.

Your browser is not supported for this experience. We recommend using Chrome, Firefox, Edge, or Safari.

To download high-res images, visit photo gallery.

• Privacy Policy
• Film Commission
• Terms of Use

Shop Our Hotel Deals

Upcoming concerts.

Houston is the birthplace of performers as varied as ZZ Top and Beyonce. Discover the next hot band to come out of H-Town with an ongoing array of concerts, live music festivals and events!   

Explore More Things to Do

Things to do in houston this weekend.

There is never a shortage of cultural attractions and things-to-do in Houston. Stay in the know with…

Experiences & Deals

The Houston Experience Marketplace curates the best of Houston's cultural attractions and…

Free Things to Do in Houston

There is a flurry of fun, educational, and cultural things to do in Houston that won't cost you a…

Houston CityPASS

Save 50% on admission to Houston’s top 5 attractions with CityPASS tickets.

Annual Events

Your guide to the top annual events.

Things to do with Kids

Experience endless attractions that appeal to adults and children alike.

Trending In Houston

Check out what's happening, new and trendy in the Greater Houston area.

Attractions

Regardless of what your interests are, Houston has attractions just right for you.

Insider's Guide

When it's time to travel again we hope we'll see you here. In the meantime check out more of Houston…

A guided experience filled with the city's most popular murals

Best Hotels and Lodging Options

A list of the top hotels, Bed and Breakfasts and other lodging options around Houston. Easily find…

Houston Signature Experiences

Houston's rich tapestry of history, culture and stories are vividly brought to life in a collection…

Air, Land, Sea & Space Pass

Take advantage of a one-of-a-kind pass that combines the best experiences Houston as the offer…

Houston Brew Passes

Sip your way through Houston and taste new flavors and discounted beer flights from your favorite…

Iconic Houston Meals

We've spotlighted local eateries that offer an iconic taste of Houston, each representing unique flavors found in our big urban…

Things To Do In Houston

Read about the latest News & Things to Do in Houston with Blogs from the Official Houston Travel Resource.

• \n\t\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t\t\tϾtimeToRead.minutesϿ Ͼ~var.translations.minute_readϿ\n\t\t\t\t\t
• \n\t\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t\t\tϾaddressϿ\n\t\t\t\t\t
• \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tϾvenue.titleϿ\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t\t\t
• \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tϾformattedDateԒ(Ԓ)Ͽ\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
• \n\t\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t\t\t ϾformattedDateԒ(Ԓ)Ͽ \n\t\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\tϾplainDescriptionԒ(helpers.var.config.descriptionTruncationԒ)Ͽ\n\t\t\t\tϾ:~equalԒ(helpers.var.config.readMorePosition, 'desc'Ԓ)Ͽ\n\t\t\t\t\tϾ~fillԒ(helpers.partial('custom_ccl_v2/shared/read_more_button'), {\n\t\t\t\t\t\t...data,\n\t\t\t\t\t\tvar: helpers.var,\n\t\t\t\t\t\ttemplateData: global.templateData,\n\t\t\t\t\t}Ԓ)Ͽ\n\t\t\t\tϾ/Ͽ\n\t\t\t

A brand new FREE app takes the view you normally see through your cell phone camera and adds a layer of "augmented reality."

© 2024 Houston First Corporation. All Rights Reserved

• Sat, Sep 07 Fort Bend Meals On Wheels Anniversary Gala - Sugarland, TX  /  Sugar Land Tickets Share
• Sat, Sep 14 Houston, TX - Last Concert Cafe  /  Houston Tickets Share
• Sat, Sep 28 Dripping Springs, TX - Mercer Dancehall  /  Driftwood Tickets Share
• Sun, Oct 13 Wedding! - Houston, TX  /  Location is TBD Share
• Fri, Oct 25 San Antonio, TX - Sam's Burger Joint  /  San Antonio Tickets Share
• Sat, Oct 26 Orange Show Gala - Houston, TX  /  Houston Tickets Share
• Fri, Nov 01 Austin, TX - 3TEN ACL LIve  /  Austin Tickets Share
• Sat, Nov 02 BAFTX GALA 2024 - Houston, TX  /  Houston Tickets Share
• Fri, Nov 15 Buda, TX - Buck's Backyard  /  Buda Tickets Share

Now booking for 2025/2026

• Band Member Bios
• Testimonials

Roll Up for a Magical Mystery Tour through the 60's with the timeless music of THE FAB 5. Come out to a show and dance to all your favorite classics. 

A splendid time is guaranteed for all!

Venue Information & Links

Back Pew Brewing  

26452 Sorters McClellan Rd  

Porter, TX 77365  

281-608-7526

Bellaire Concert Series  

Bellaire Pavillion  

7008 5th St  

Bellaire, TX 77401  

713-662-8280  

Bernhardt Winery  

9043 Country Road 204  

Plantersville, TX 77363  

936-894-9829  

​ Lake Jackson Civic Center  

333 TX-332  

Lake Jackson, TX 77566  

979-415-2600  

Lone Pint Prewing

503 Commerce St  

Magnolia, TX 77355  

281-789-4061  

   Main Street Crossing  

111 W. Main St  

Tomball,TX 77375  

281-290-0431  

   Market Street Concert Series  

9595 Six Pines Drive Central Park

The Woodlands, Texas 77380  

281-419-4774  

Pearland "Summerfest" Concert Series

Independence Park  

3449 Pearland Pkwy

Pearland, TX 77581  

281-997-5970  

Saengerfest Park  

2302 Strand  

Galveston, TX 77550  

866-505-4456  

Scotty's Saloon at OTP  

114 Agnes Rd

Richmond, TX 77469 

713-560-1804  

SPJST 88 Lodge Pokrok   

1435 Beall St  

Houston, TX 77008  

713-869-5767  

Toddy Oaks Distillery

20120 Franz Rd

Katy, TX 77449  

281-578-2020  

West U Concert Series  

Colonial Park  

4130 Byron  

West University Place, TX 77005  

713-662-7462

Wild Stallion Vineyard  

5959 West Rayford  

Spring, TX 77389  

281-803-9463

Copyright © 2024 The Fab 5 : The Beatles and 1960s Tribute Band 

All Rights Reserved.

Powered by GoDaddy

Cookie Policy

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this site, you accept our use of cookies.

• Popular artists in Houston
• Trending artists worldwide

• Tourbox for artists

Search for events or artists

• Sign up Log in

• Get the app
• Houston concerts
• Change location
• Popular Artists
• Live streams
• Deutsch Português
• Concerts near you
• Popular artists

R&B Concerts in Houston

Find tickets to all live music, concerts, tour dates and festivals in and around Houston.

Currently there are 28 upcoming events.

Filter by artist

• Your favorite artists

Filter by date

• This weekend

Filter by genre

• Indie & Alt
• Folk & Blues
• Funk & Soul

28 upcoming concerts

• Saturday 31 August 2024

Lalah Hathaway

Arena Theatre , Houston, TX, US

• Tuesday 03 September 2024

Sinead Harnett and Hamzaa

Bronze Peacock Room, House of Blues , Houston, TX, US

• Sunday 08 September 2024

Childish Gambino Willow

Toyota Center - TX , Houston, TX, US

• Saturday 14 September 2024

Fabolous and Teyana Taylor

The Encore , Houston, TX, US

• Sunday 15 September 2024

Anthony Hamilton and The Isley Brothers

Smart Financial Centre , Sugar Land, TX, US

• Thursday 19 September 2024

NIKI and Allison Ponthier

713 Music Hall , Houston, TX, US

• Saturday 28 September 2024

Two Another and Wiinston

• Monday 07 October 2024

White Oak Music Hall , Houston, TX, US

• Tuesday 08 October 2024

Kehlani FLO and Anycia

Rapsody, Lara, and NIKO BRIM

• Saturday 12 October 2024

Boyz II Men, Robin Thicke, and 112

The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion Presented By Huntsman , The Woodlands, TX, US

Kaytranada Channel Tres and Lou Phelps

White Oak Music Hall - Lawn , Houston, TX, US

• Friday 18 October 2024

Maxwell, Jazmine Sullivan, and October London

• Wednesday 23 October 2024

Warehouse Live Midtown , Houston, TX, US

• Thursday 24 October 2024

Tinashe and Raveena

Bayou Music Center , Houston, TX, US

• Saturday 26 October 2024

Don Toliver

• Sunday 27 October 2024

Sabrina Carpenter and Griff

Leela James and Macy Gray

Revention Music Center , Houston, TX, US

• Tuesday 29 October 2024

House of Blues - Houston , Houston, TX, US

• Saturday 02 November 2024

Inayah, Trey Songz, Lil Duval, Pleasure P, and Bubba Dub

• Tuesday 12 November 2024
• Saturday 16 November 2024

NRG Arena , Houston, TX, US

• Tuesday 19 November 2024

Mariah Carey

• Wednesday 27 November 2024
• Friday 29 November 2024
• Saturday 30 November 2024
• Wednesday 04 December 2024

Justin Timberlake

• Friday 13 December 2024

Popular tickets in Houston

• Most popular charts
• Campaigns for promoters
• API information
• Brand guidelines
• Community guidelines
• Terms of use
• Privacy policy
• Cookies settings
• Cookies policy

Get your tour dates seen everywhere.

• All Our Stories
• Agriculture & Animals
• Film & TV
• Food & Drink
• Heel To Toe
• Stories From Texas
• Texan Translation
• Typewriter Rodeo
• Weekend Trip Tips
• Where There’s Smoke
• Border & Immigration
• Business & Economy
• Crime & Justice
• Disability in Texas
• Energy & Environment
• Child Welfare
• PolitiFact Texas
• Week in Texas Politics
• Health & Science
• Military and Veterans’ Affairs
• Texas Newsroom
• Race & Identity
• Tech & Innovation
• Transportation
• Texas Standard
• Stories from Texas
• Show Archives
• Whole Shows
• How to Listen

What’s the story behind ZZ Top’s First Annual Texas-Size Rompin’ Stompin’ Barndance and Bar B.Q.?

This weekend marks 50 years since an event in Austin that no one has seen the likes of since. A concert so epic — and so messy — that if you remember it, maybe you weren’t really there.

Share this story with a friend:

#AS-74-88256-002, Austin American-Statesman Photographic Morgue (AR.2014.039). Austin History Center, Austin Public Library, Texas

Fans packed Texas Memorial Stadium on Sept. 1, 1974 for a music festival that began as an idea for a UT Austin student government fundraiser.

From KUT News:

This story was originally told live at the Paramount Theatre on April 3, 2024. Our next live show is on Oct. 23 at Bass Concert Hall.  Get your tickets now!

There’s a framed photo in Tierney Rezac’s house. It’s an aerial image of Memorial Stadium at UT Austin — an insert that came with ZZ Top’s 1975 album “Fandango!” There’s text on it that reads “ZZ Top’s First Annual Texas Sized Rompin’ Stompin’ Barndance & Bar B.Q.” It claims it happened in the summer of 1974 with 80,000 “friends.”

The insert that came with Tierney’s copy of ZZ Top’s 1974 album, “Fandango!” Matt Largey / KUT News

Tierney was curious about the story behind this concert. So, she asked ATXplained about it.

“I’ve heard a lot of my dad’s stories about going to shows in the ’70s,” Tierney said. “His stories are pretty crazy, so I’m assuming that this one is absolutely bonkers.”

It is, in fact, absolutely bonkers. But maybe not for the reasons you’d expect.

Let’s put on a concert

The whole thing started in 1973 — a year before the concert.

UT Austin’s student government was looking to raise some money after the university cut its budget. They had done some movie nights and stuff but hadn’t really raised much cash.

So, they hatched a plan.

“We came up with the idea of doing a concert,” recalls Barry Leff, the student government financial director at the time. “I was appointed the guy to make it happen.”

The only problem was that Barry knew nothing about putting on a concert. He was a political science major. But, he did know they needed a venue. This was about four years before the Frank Erwin Center was finished.

Still, they were thinking big. Real big. They wanted to use Memorial Stadium, where the Texas Longhorn football team played.

To do this, Barry needed to get permission from UT Football Coach Darrell Royal, who was basically a god in Texas. Royal led the Longhorns to national championships three times as head coach.

So Barry went to Royal’s office and waited for him.

Eventually Barry saw him and flagged Royal down.

“He looked at me and — of course I was intimidated,” Barry recalls. “And he said ‘What do you want, what can I help you with?’”

So there’s Barry, a 20 year-old kid looking a Texas god in the face — asking him to use his cathedral for a rock n’ roll concert.

“He gave me that look, like ‘Oh my god…’ and he says ‘Well, how many people do you think you’re going to do?’ and I said ‘You know, we’re hoping to do maybe 10-20,000?’ And he said: ‘It’ll never happen.’”

But Barry didn’t back down.

“I said ‘Well, if you really believe that, would you mind signing this piece of paper and giving us permission to do the show?’”

To Barry’s surprise, Royal signed the paper.

He had a god’s signature. He took it and went to see everyone else he needed permission from.

“They all signed it thinking this thing was never going to happen,” Barry said.

So they had permission to do the show at the stadium. Now they needed a band.

Barry started calling around to concert promoters. What he didn’t realize is that having permission to use the stadium meant promoters saw an opportunity and took him seriously. Big arena concerts had become a thing by that point.

“I kinda had the golden ticket,” Barry said.

He talked to a guy named Terry Bassett who ran a big concert promotion company in Dallas. Next thing you know, Barry is on a plane to Dallas, getting the VIP treatment. Bassett took him to the Cotton Bowl, where he met The Eagles who were rehearsing for a show there.

“You can imagine, you know, a 20 year-old kid and I was like ‘Man, this is pretty amazing.’”

Barry was in business. More promoters were brought on to help organize the show. It took months, but eventually they locked in a lineup.

British supergroup Bad Company.

Blues-y British singer Joe Cocker.

Burgeoning guitar legend Santana.

And the headliner, the Tres Hombres, that little ol’ band from Texas: ZZ Top.

An ad that appeared in The Daily Texan in August 1974. Daily Texan Archives

This wasn’t just a concert anymore. It was a festival. Now it was — maybe aspirationally — ZZ Top’s First Annual Texas Size Rompin’ Stompin’ Barndance and Bar B.Q.

Barry had his hands full between going to school full-time and helping organize this huge event.   His political science major hadn’t prepared him for this. But he was learning on the fly, even as the thing got bigger than the student organization had imagined.

“They didn’t know what the scope of it was going to be,” Barry said. “ We  didn’t know!”

The day approaches

Posters went up. Ads were in newspapers and on the radio. Everywhere from Austin to Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, Louisiana and Oklahoma — the word was out.

Tickets went on sale a month or two before the show at $8 each. But Barry had no idea how  many  tickets were being sold.

“I guess somebody had an idea? But I never heard a number, I really didn’t,” he said

The night before the show, they started to get a sense. A crowd gathered near the stadium. Barry said Coach Royal was growing concerned about the field — the AstroTurf they had installed only a few years earlier.

The organizers had borrowed a field covering from the Cotton Bowl. On the eve of the concert, they were putting it down, but the covering didn’t fit.

“Twenty-five percent of the field wasn’t covered,” Barry said

Royal and then-UT Regent Frank Erwin demanded the student group cover the rest.

“They basically said ‘if you don’t cover this field, you’re not doing your show,’” Barry said

It was definitely too late to cancel. The show must go on.

Someone knew someone at the sports retailer Academy, so they called and bought all the tarps and tents — whatever they could use to cover the field.

A Rompin’ Stompin’ time

UT Texas Student Publications photographs, e_uttsp_00097, The Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, The University of Texas at Austin

The crowd that showed up for the concert on Sept. 1, 1974 was bigger than Barry Leff could have imagined.

On September 1, 1974, 80,000 people showed up to Memorial Stadium.   This was more than the stadium’s seating capacity at the time. A lot of those people were on the field, though.

“Every square inch of the field was full of people,” said James Wright, who was in the crowd. “There was no place in that stadium that wasn’t covered with humanity.”

Temperatures that September afternoon were in the 90s. The sun beat down on the field. Before the music even started, it was clear there was a problem.

“The stadium sold out of all their food. They sold out of their drinks,” Barry said. “People were having a hard time getting water.”

The organizers hadn’t anticipated a crowd like this. And people thought barbecue was going to be included. I mean it was billed as a “Barndance AND Bar B. Q.”

“I never even saw any food, water or barbecue,” James said.

But the water was the biggest problem. Again, it was hot. People were getting overheated and passing out. But it was so crowded out on the field, there wasn’t any place for them to fall.

“You’d see these people — they were still on their feet — and they were kinda getting pushed to the sideline and then, boom, they’d go down and the EMTs would come and get them,” Barry said.

People were doing whatever they had to just to cool off.

“I remember going into the bathroom at one point and there were girls trying to get in the sink to get water on them to cool off because it was so hot,” said Susan Prior, another concertgoer. “And they broke the sinks off the wall.”

Barry was getting worried.

“I’m like sitting back [stage] there going ‘Please God just don’t let anybody die today — that’s all I’m asking,’’ he said. “At that point it was like survival.”

They had to do something.

So they just opened the gates. People could come and go as they pleased. Eventually food and drinks started to find their way into the stadium, as people cleared out nearby convenience stores and restaurants.

UT Texas Student Publications photographs, e_uttsp_00100, The Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, The University of Texas at Austin

Food, water and ice started to show up after organizers opened the gates to allow people to come and go from Memorial Stadium.

“There was one enterprising young guy who was selling ice for $10 a bag, which was a lot of money 50 years ago,” James said.

“At one point, a guy was carrying a bag of ice right in front of me,” recalls Andy Sieverman, who was covering the concert as a photographer for The Daily Texan. “Just as he passed me, the bag of ice broke, and everybody from there just went ‘woosh’ — because they wanted some ice and cold water.”

But in spite of everything, most people were having a great time.

“There was kind of a good feeling in the air,” said Blaine Pennington, who was also at the concert. “Everybody seemed happy. Just looking around that big stadium and seeing that it was full, even up to the upper decks — that they were at something special.”

W. Blaine Pennington

The crowd at the ZZ Top show on Sept. 1, 1974 at Texas Memorial Stadium.

And the best part was still to come.

The openers

The band Bad Company was up first with Jimmy Page from Led Zeppelin playing with them.

“It was like a big exhale from the audience, and then they just filled up with this energy from the music,” Barry said. “They were like, electrified.”

Andy Sieverman / e_uttsp_00099, Austin American-Statesman Photographic Morgue (AR.2014.039). Austin History Center, Austin Public Library

Bad Company plays at ZZ Top's First Annual Texas-Size Rompin' Stompin' Barndance and Bar B.Q. on Sept. 1, 1974.

After Bad Company, Joe Cocker got on stage. It did not go well.

“He was just completely drunk. He was just incapable of giving a show,” Blaine said. “He was actually barfing off the front of the stage. I mean it was awful.”

Joe Cocker performs at the ZZ Top’s First Annual Texas-Size Rompin’ Stompin’ Barndance and Bar B.Q. on Sept. 1, 1974. AS-74-88256-064, Austin American-Statesman Photographic Morgue (AR.2014.039). Austin History Center, Austin Public Library

No one seems to have a great recollection of his set — except for the barfing.

As the sun started to set, it was time for Santana.

“It was the best show I’ve seen him at — before or since,” Blaine said.

It was almost time for the final act of the night and the crowd was ready. People were tossing each other in the air with blankets and building human pyramids. Someone set off a smoke bomb, which apparently caught a mattress that someone dragged out onto the field on fire.

“It was biblical. It was epic,” Blaine said. “It was the right place at the right time for a lot of people to have this party — and they were going to have a party one way or the other. Even if the stuff they were promised was not provided.”

Someone set off a smoke bomb as the crowd waited for ZZ Top.

The headliner

By the time it got dark and cooled off some, people were a bit more comfortable.

“They had survived the masses and the heat — the music was carrying them,” Barry said. “And when ZZ came on, it was just … magical.”

The band pulled out all the stops for this show. There were pyrotechnics, live animals, sequined jumpsuits. And of course they played the hits and a few curveballs.

“More than that, they were hilarious. They were just so funny,” Blaine said. “Their stage routine and their costumes and so forth — this was the first time we had seen a full-blown version of that.”

ZZ Top performing at Texas Memorial Stadium on Sept. 1, 1974.

ZZ Top played their set and did two encores.

And that was it. The crowd left. Barry was feeling good.

“It was a really beautiful thing seeing these people come from all over Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana — and I’m sure much further than that,” he said. “I had never seen anything like this in my life.”

They raised $25,000, today’s equivalent of about $150,000, for student government — remember this was a fundraiser. In total, the concert brought in nearly $700,000 — more than $4 million today. Most of that went to the bands and the promoters.

The aftermath

Then came the light of day.

There was trash a foot deep all over the stadium. Broken sinks and toilets. Someone carved the shape of the state of Texas into the precious AstroTurf.

AS-74-88239A-022 and AS-74-88239A-007, Austin American-Statesman Photographic Morgue (AR.2014.039). Austin History Center, Austin Public Library

Trash littered the stadium and the shape of the state of Texas was carved into the AstroTurf following the epic music festival on UT Austin's campus.

The next day, Barry was at Memorial Stadium looking over the damage. He saw a man walking over to him. He knew exactly who it was: Coach Royal.

“I remember this like it was yesterday,” recalls Barry. “He says ‘Barry, I don’t believe this is the kind of thing the University of Texas wants.’”

Most people who were there agree that the damage wasn’t all  that  bad. The stadium wasn’t left in shambles. Even Frank Erwin called the destruction “minimal.”

“I’m sure they replaced a lot of toilets and a lot of sinks and patched up the field and cleaned up the trash — but, you know, they played football that season,” said Barry.

Still, it seemed that Memorial Stadium wouldn’t host another concert until hell froze over.

Incidentally, hell DID freeze over in 1995.   When the Eagles played Memorial Stadium as part of their  Hell Freezes Over  tour. But there were only 33,000 people at that concert.

It might have been ZZ Top’s ONLY Annual Texas Size Rompin’ Stompin’ Barndance and Bar B.Q., but it wasn’t the end for Barry.

He said the concert had awakened something in him and it changed his life.

“It was such a personal moment for me — number one, the accomplishment. But it also was the first moment in my life where I ever felt my passion. And my passion was the audience,” he said.

He knew he wanted to follow that passion of making great shows for audiences. And with some connections from the Memorial Stadium show, that’s exactly what he did.

Courtesy of Barry Leff

Barry Leff recently retired after a long career in concert promotions.

He spent the next 48 years in concert promotions — including working with ZZ Top.

So I guess the moral of this story is: Don’t be afraid to ask for what you want. You might get a great career out of it. Or at least you’ll get a really bonkers story.

If you found the reporting above valuable, please consider making a donation to support it  here . Your gift helps pay for everything you find on  texasstandard.org  and  KUT.org . Thanks for donating today.

More from 08/30/2024

El Paso Paralympian Ryan Medrano readies to run in Paris

Texas has removed a million people from the voter rolls. Why are we finding out now?

Texas public schools team up with early childhood centers to boost budgets

Morgan’s Hotel to offer unprecedented accessibility in San Antonio

A Democratic congressional candidate ruffles progressive feathers with new ad

This week in Texas music history: The birth of Chelo Silva

Typewriter Rodeo: Soft voices

Texas Standard for Aug. 30, 2024: Texas athlete Ryan Medrano heads to his first Paralympic Games in Paris

The texas standard is a partnership of.

©2024 Texas Standard. A service of the Moody College of Communication at the University of Texas at Austin | Contact us

Houston Verified

Similar artists on tour, concerts and tour dates, about houston.