Frank Beard Is Back: ZZ Top’s Drummer Rejoins for Epic 2025 Elevation Tour
The little ol’ band from Texas is revving back up to full power. ZZ Top co-founding drummer Frank Beard has officially returned to the band after a two-month absence due to foot and ankle issues. Now fully recovered, Beard is back behind the kit just in time for the North American leg of the Elevation Tour, which kicked off June 1 in Victoria, British Columbia and runs through October with 52 fiery dates.
Fans can breathe easy knowing the core trio—Billy Gibbons, Elwood Francis, and now Beard—is reunited and ready to deliver that signature ZZ Top sound. “We’re happy that Frank is back with Elwood and yours truly,” said Gibbons in a statement. “We missed him and are looking forward to turning it up and rocking out with him, as has been the case for the last few hundred or so decades.”
Beard, never one for many words, said it simply and straight: “It’s good to be back. See you out there.”
While Beard was out, longtime drum tech John Douglas stepped in, a role he previously filled in 2002 during Beard’s emergency appendix surgery. But now, it’s the real deal once again—with Beard holding down the beat and driving the band forward into another high-octane summer of rock.
Despite the 2021 passing of bassist Dusty Hill, ZZ Top remains a force to be reckoned with. Elwood Francis—Hill’s handpicked successor—has stepped into the role with grace and grit. The Elevation Tour serves as proof that age is just a number when it comes to rock and roll longevity.
From casino stages to major amphitheaters, the band’s 2025 trek is a celebration of resilience, legacy, and good old-fashioned Texas blues-rock. Whether you’re catching them in Toronto, Memphis, or wrapping it all up in Indiana, one thing’s for sure: ZZ Top is showing no signs of slowing down.
Welcome back, Frank. Rock on.
