ZZ Top’s Billy Gibbons will livestream his sixth annual all-star Jungle Show concert from Austin, Texas, this New Year’s Eve. Gibbons, who hosted this show for the past five years, assembles a once-a-year blues supergroup with Jimmie Vaughan, Mike Flanigin, Sue Foley, and Chris Layton, to play a couple of special gigs at Antone’s in Austin, Texas.
The Jungle Show is usually held in Austin each year. However, due to the pandemic, this year’s concert will be a virtual one, shared online. The show will air at 8pm in various time zones around the world, including an 8 pm show in London. In a recent interview, Gibbons told how much they look forward to putting the show together.
“For five consecutive years, we’ve looked forward to putting the Jungle Show together, between Christmas and New Year’s Eve. It’s been a great way for all of us to cap the old year and bring in the new in rockin’ style. Despite the reality of 2020, we were determined to keep our streak going so we’ve decided to go viral — the good kind of viral — and offer the Jungle Show to the world beyond Austin.”
Jimmie Vaughan added that he “looks forward to playing with Sue, Chris, Mike, and Billy at the end of every year and this year is no different. Except for the fact that, in a sense, we’ve moved the show ‘way out in the woods’ and directly into your house.”
The Jungle Show originated in 2015, when Gibbons and Flanigin, an Austin-based organist, were asked to perform at the Austin City Limits Hall of Fame’s induction of B.B. King. By the time they joined up with the HOF show, most of BB’s hits had been selected by the other bands.
Looking for a song to play for BB, the pair decided to cover the 1967 deep cut, “The Jungle.” They enjoyed their performance so much, they booked a follow-up show at Antone’s, despite not having a full-time band.
Canadian blues artist, Sue Foley originally offered to open for the show, but was asked to join the band instead. Flanigin recruited drummer Chris Layton, while Vaughan jumped at the chance to play with Gibbons, and the rest is history.
“The Jungle Show is something I look forward to every holiday season,” Foley says. “It’s just so much fun to get down and play some blues with these legends.”
“The Jungle Show is great fun for all involved,” Flanigin adds. “But beyond that, it is a rarified meeting of two of Texas’ greatest guitar slingers, Billy Gibbons and Jimmie Vaughan. To see them together, prowling the stage, is worth the price of admission alone.”
The Jungle Show will air online on New Years’ Eve at 8pm and tickets for all four broadcasts are on sale now via the Jungle Show’s website for $25. VIP packages come with a show poster, signed by the band, a special VIP bandana, and exclusive access to bonus footage.
