Photos: Brandon Jernigan

ZZ Top, the “little ol’ band from Texas,” didn’t waste any time shooting the breeze Sunday night at the Warfield Theatre in San Francisco. Playing the second of two Bay Area shows on a tour supporting new live compilation album Live – Greatest Hits From Around the World, guitarist Billy Gibbons, bassist Dusty Hill and drummer Frank Beard were all business from the moment they walked on stage and tore through 18 songs in under 90 minutes.

The blues rock trio played all but two songs from the album, which meant a night full of greatest hits in San Francisco. While set opener “Got Me Under Pressure”off their most commercially successful 1983 album Eliminator started a bit clumsily, with muffled vocals and timing that was nearly, but not completed in sync, that was quickly corrected with the back-to-back combo of “Waitin’ for the Bus” and “Jesus Just Left Chicago” off 1973’s Tres Hombres.

Another hit, “Gimme All Your Lovin,’” followed. The song is also from Eliminator, which was best represented in the set. The band was at its best with album cuts “Sharp Dressed Man” and “Legs,” as well as Tres Hombres’ “La Grange.”

But perhaps the biggest surprise of the night was a cover of Muddy Waters’ “Two Trains Runnin’,” for which Gibbons and Hill dropped the rock pretense on the intense blues jam. Other covers of Merle Travis’ “Sixteen Tons,” featured on the compilation album, and Elvis Presley’s “Jailhouse Rock” went over well, but The Jimi Hendrix Experience’s “Foxey Lady” felt incomplete.

The Sunday performance highlighted that ZZ Top are showmen. While not conversational, their choreographed guitar swings, two-step dancing, matching black jackets, shirts, instrument straps and sunglasses, as well as Beard’s extensive drum kit with double kick-drums – each with a glowing island tribal mask – provided the right amount of color without taking away from the songs.

One-half of Alabama southern rock quartet The Kenneth Brian Band opened the show, with band leader Kenneth Brian and rhythm guitarist Travis Stephens making up for the lack of their bassist and drummer with foot stomps and solos. The band also performed last weekend at Hardly Strictly Bluegrass.

Follow Roman Gokhman at Twitter.com/RomiTheWriter.