ZZ Top drummer Frank Beard is stepping away from the band’s ongoing The Big One tour due to undisclosed health issues, prompting the band to bring in a replacement musician for the remainder of their scheduled dates, according to statements confirmed by a band representative to USA TODAY on Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026.
Tour Kickoff Canceled at The Hollywood Bowl
The disruption began on Aug. 5, 2026, when ZZ Top abruptly canceled their tour opener at The Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles. The Hollywood Bowl subsequently announced that all tickets, along with transportation and parking passes, were automatically refunded, and the venue did not reschedule the Los Angeles date.
Tour Continuation with Michael Monahan
Despite Beard’s exit, the band will continue the tour as a trio. Rolling Stone confirmed with a band spokesperson that drummer Michael Monahan will step in to fill the percussion role alongside Gibbons and bassist Elwood Francis. Monahan previously filled in for Beard during earlier tour dates. According to USA TODAY, The Big One tour features a rigorous itinerary, including a 34-date U.S. spring run, a 21-date European leg across June and July, and roughly three dozen additional U.S. dates extending through Oct. 9, 2026. The band is also scheduled to perform eight dates in Mexico and South America in November.
Health History and Prior Tour Absences
This departure marks the latest health-related interruption for the 77-year-old drummer. Douglas also substituted for Beard during an emergency appendectomy in 2002. Beard remains the second-longest-serving member of the rock group, having joined Gibbons in 1969 shortly after the band’s formation in Houston, Texas.
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