ZZ Top drummer Frank Beard is set to return to the band’s tour after missing nearly all of the group’s August performances due to an undisclosed medical issue.
The band announced that Beard will be back behind the drums for its Sept. 5 concert in Tulsa, Oklahoma. “The doctors did what they did so now I’m able to do what I do,” Beard said in a statement. “Happy that it’s back to band business.”
Beard had been absent since ZZ Top’s Aug. 8 show in Arcadia, Wisconsin, according to fan reports. Michael Monahan filled in during Beard’s absence, including at the band’s Aug. 24 performance in Auburn, Washington.
This marks the second time in 2025 that Beard has stepped away from touring. Earlier this year, he left the tour for about two months, later citing unspecified foot and ankle issues. During that period, ZZ Top’s longtime drum technician, John Douglas, served as his replacement.
ZZ Top’s Elevation Tour is scheduled to run through November. The band’s current lineup includes Beard, guitarist and vocalist Billy Gibbons, and bassist Elwood Francis, who joined the group in 2021 following the death of Dusty Hill.
