ZZ Top’s Billy Gibbons finally met one of his greatest musical inspirations in person Saturday, September 12, when he and Dion DiMucci found themselves performing at the same resort. Gibbons and the Bronx-born rock and roll pioneer had previously collaborated on two recordings, but those sessions took place remotely during the pandemic.
Just before Dion’s set at Mohegan Sun’s Sun Patio, Gibbons — dressed in pajamas — met his longtime hero backstage. ZZ Top was performing at Mohegan Sun Arena that same day, creating what Dion’s tour manager, Rich Nesin, recognized earlier in the week as an unlikely musical convergence.
It was, as Gibbons put it, “Texas meets the Bronx via the blues.”
“I’ve admired Dion for just about as long as I can remember,” Gibbons said after the meeting. “He has always been the ultimate rock and roller to me and still is just that. While we’ve collaborated on some recordings, we had yet to meet, and now it’s ‘live and in person’ and a truly fulfilling experience.”
Gibbons said Dion was as warm and genuine as he had imagined, adding that the two “instantly bonded over our mutual love of Jimmy Reed.”
Dion was equally delighted by the encounter.
“Billy Gibbons is one of a kind,” he said just before taking the stage. “The man has a distinctive sound on guitar; he is unique and special in every way; the way he dresses; the food he eats; the car he drives; the guitar he plays!”
Dion also offered a typically colorful description of the way Gibbons communicates with him: “The way he expresses himself when he wants to convey something to me: he sends up a smoke signal!”
The meeting was particularly fitting given the musicians’ history together. Gibbons performed on “Bam Bang Boom,” from Dion’s 2020 album Blues With Friends, and the pair reunited the following year for “My Stomping Ground,” from Dion’s Stomping Ground.
Both albums were recorded during the pandemic, with Dion’s many collaborators contributing their parts remotely. Blues With Friends features an extraordinary roster of guests including Paul Simon, Jeff Beck, Joe Bonamassa, Van Morrison, Bruce Springsteen, Patti Scialfa and Brian Setzer, while Stomping Ground includes Mark Knopfler, Eric Clapton, Boz Scaggs, Keb’ Mo’, Marcia Ball and Peter Frampton.
So although Gibbons and Dion had already made music together, Saturday marked the first time they had actually shared the same room.
Gibbons’ admiration for Dion stretches back decades. In a Guitar Player interview around the release of Blues With Friends, Dion recalled becoming a fan of the ZZ Top electric guitar hero around the time of Tres Hombres, if not earlier.
“I’ve been a fan of his since Tres Hombres, or maybe earlier,” Dion told Guitar Player. “He’s always had a very distinctive sound. He’s like Muddy Waters or John Lee Hooker on steroids. I wanted him to do a song kind of like [Bo Diddley’s] ‘I’m a Man.’”
“This song seemed ideal for Billy,” Dion continued. “He is one of a kind — a renaissance man, a real intelligent guy, a thinker. I love the way he communicates, whether it’s writing, playing, visually or even talking. He’s got his own thing.”
