Newly Unearthed Billy Gibbons Performance Video Now Here

Theme of “Missin’ Yo’ Kissin’” proves eerily prescient of pandemic lockdown time

“Missin Yo’ Kissin’,” a performance video shot towards the end of Billy Gibbons’ 2018 tour has just surfaced. Its relevance to the current circumstance of being quarantined is almost eerie. Once again, Mr. Gibbons seems to have been plugged in. He wrote the song and made the video long in advance of this crisis, perhaps not knowing of its specifics, but sensing the kind of soundtrack required. This song, the creation of the video and the discovery of that video last week were all truly serendipitous.  

Even the date of discovery was cosmic: 11/11/2018. Many believe 1111 is an angelic sign. On that date, the ZZ Top front man was at the Aztec Theater in San Antonio for a tour date in support of his then-recently released solo album The Big Bad Blues.

The ZZ Top road band consisted of Gibbons on guitar, with Matt Sorum on drums, Austin Hanks on guitar, as well as thje participation of Billy’s long-time guitar tech/guru Elwood Francis on harmonica.

At that afternoon’s soundcheck, Sorum was introduced to Harry Reese by the venue’s sound man.  Reese, as it happens, is a Shiner, TX-based photographer/videographer whose resume includes assignments with Five Finger Death Punch, Shinedown and Stone Temple Pilots.  He was equipped that day to do a one man-four camera shoot of the show. His services were engaged on the spot to chronicle the performance of “Missin’ Yo’ Kissin’,” one of the group’s stand out numbers.  

Harry situated two stationary GoPro cameras on Sorum’s drum stand and documented the proceedings as he scurried around the stage with two hand-held cameras.  Once the tour concluded, the video was forgotten, though The Big Bad Blues was not. It went on to win Best Blues Rock Album at the 2019 Blues Music Awards. Billy was unable to attend the BMA ceremonies in Memphis last year due to a ZZ Top performance conflict but Gilligan Stillwater, Billy’s paramour, most appropriately accepted the award on his behalf.

The song was actually written by “Miz Gilly” who came up with it while waiting in the lobby of Foam Box Studios in Houston where the album was recorded.  Through the control room window, Billy noticed her scribbling in a note book.  That scribbling turned out to be the lyrics for “Missin’ Yo’ Kissin’” which was added to The Big Bad Blues tune stack immediately thereafter.  After the song was recorded Billy, asked the rhetorical question, “She was writing that about me, wasn’t she?!?”

Just last week, Sorum remembered the video. He unearthed the hard-drive and shared it with Billy.

“It’s fortuitous that Matt remembered the video and fished it out of his stick bag last week,” said Billy  “Now, more than ever, this is an exemplar of our go-to phrase, “Blues You Can Use.” 

Check it out, the very recently discovered and unearthed video of “Missin’ Yo’ Kissin’” .