ZZ Top will continue their "The Big One" US summer tour without longtime drummer Frank Beard, who has taken a leave of absence for undisclosed reasons. Drummer Michael Monahan is filling in, alongside founding guitarist-vocalist Billy Gibbons and bassist Elwood Francis. The move follows the band's abrupt cancellation of a Hollywood Bowl show a week earlier, which management attributed to "unforeseen personnel matters," with no further explanation given.

Beard, 77, has drummed for ZZ Top for more than 55 years since joining in 1969, appearing on every album from 1971's First Album through 2012's La Futura. He has faced recurring health issues in recent years, including a 2022 emergency appendectomy and a foot and ankle problem last year that briefly sidelined him. The tour continues through the US, including dates in Washington, Texas and New York, before wrapping up in Georgia on 9 October ahead of shows in Mexico and South America in November.