Continental Safari Tour

Continental Safari Tour
World tour by ZZ Top
Location	Europe, Africa, North America
Associated album	Rhythmeen
Start date	June 14, 1996 (1996-06-14)
End date	March 8, 1997 (1997-03-08)
Legs	4
Shows	76
ZZ Top tour chronology
Antenna Tour (1994) Continental Safari Tour (1996-1997) Mean Rhythm Global Tour (1997)

The Continental Safari Tour was a worldwide concert tour by rock band ZZ Top. Launched in support of the group's 1996 album, Rhythmeen, the tour's shows were performed in stadiums and arenas from 1996 through 1997. The tour consisted of four legs and 76 shows, and took ZZ Top to South Africa for the first time.

Concert overview

Out of the 76 shows performed during the Continental Safari Tour, each show had a similar set list. There were 19-22 songs performed by the band at each show. The concerts typically began with electronic music played through the PA system, during which the band members would walk on stage. Tour manager, Pablo Gamboa, usually came out to introduce the band and the show would begin.

Main set

During the first European leg, each show opened with a performance of "I Thank You." Following "I Thank You," the band performed "Stop Breaking Down," "I Walked from Dallas," "Nasty Dogs and Funky Kings," "Mexican Blackbird," "I'm Bad, I'm Nationwide," "Brown Sugar," "What's Up with That," and "She's Just Killing Me." "Blue Jean Blues" was featured during the middle of the set, as well as "Heard It on the X." "Pearl Necklace," "Cheap Sunglasses," and "Just Got Paid" were played at most of the early European shows. Those songs were followed by the trio of hits from the Eliminator album, which included "Gimme All Your Lovin'," "Sharp Dressed Man," and "Legs."

For the rest of the tour, the band's set had small changes, opening with "Got Me Under Pressure." "Mexican Blackbird" was omitted, adding the songs "Pincushion" and "Party on the Patio." Songs from Rhythmeen were performed, including "Vincent Price Blues," "Rhythmeen," and "Bang, Bang."

Encores

The band would walk from backstage to perform old fan favorites like "La Grange" and "Tush." In later shows, "She's Just Killing Me" was featured in the encore instead of the main set. This was followed by another brief break, and the show would close with "Tube Snake Boogie" and a cover of "Jailhouse Rock."

A total of 25 different songs were played throughout the tour. Out of the 12 songs on Rhythmeen, only five of them were played in full at least once.

Tour dates

Date	City	Country	Venue
Europe
June 14, 1996	London	England	Brixton Academy
June 17, 1996	Den Bosch	Netherlands	Brabanthallen
June 18, 1996	Mulhouse	France	Palais des Sports
June 19, 1996	Ghent	Belgium	Flanders Expo
June 20, 1996	Mulhouse	France	Nouveau Parc des Expositions
June 21, 1996	Zurich	Switzerland	Hallenstadion
June 22, 1996	Miltenberg	Germany	Landebahn
June 23, 1996	Düren		Badesee
June 24, 1996	Paris	France	Bercy
June 26, 1996	Hanover	Germany	Hanover Music Hall
June 27, 1996	Bremen		Stadthalle
June 29, 1996	Turku	Finland	Turku Music Festival
June 30, 1996	Finspång	Sweden	Finspång Castle
July 2, 1996	Oslo	Norway	Oslo Spektrum
July 5, 1996	Varberg	Sweden	Fästningen
July 6, 1996	Ringe	Denmark	Midtfyns Festival
July 8, 1996	Luxembourg	Luxembourg	Eissporthalle
July 9, 1996	Montreux	Switzerland	Montreux Jazz Festival
July 11, 1996	Berlin	Germany	Waldbuhne
July 12, 1996	Gdańsk	Poland	Hala Olivia
July 13, 1996	Tallinn	Estonia	Stadium
July 14, 1996	Riga	Latvia	Rock Summer Festival
July 16, 1996	Moscow	Russia	Gorky Park
July 17, 1996	Vienna	Austria	Stadthalle
July 19, 1996	Erfurt	Germany	Hohenfelden
July 20, 1996	Regensburg		Festival
July 21, 1996	Balingen		SWF3 Open Air Festival
July 24, 1996	Vienne	France	Antique Theatre
July 25, 1996	Nyon	Switzerland	Paléo Festival
July 26, 1996	Nîmes	France	Arena of Nîmes
Africa
July 30, 1996	Johannesburg	South Africa	Standard Bank Arena
July 31, 1996
August 1, 1996
August 3, 1996	Durban		Village Green
August 4, 1996	Cape Town		3 Arts Theatre
August 5, 1996
August 7, 1996	Johannesburg		Standard Bank Arena
North America
October 19, 1996	Atlanta	United States	Chastain Park
October 20, 1996	Louisville		Palace Theater
October 22, 1996	Cleveland		State Theatre
October 24, 1996	Worcester		The Centrum
October 25, 1996	New York City		Radio City Music Hall
October 26, 1996	Fairfax		Patriot Center
October 27, 1996	Upper Darby		Tower Theater
October 30, 1996	Detroit		Fox Theatre
October 31, 1996	Milwaukee		Eagles Ballroom
November 2, 1996	Chicago		Aragon Ballroom
November 3, 1996	Mankato		Mankato Civic Center
November 4, 1996	Minneapolis		State Theatre
November 6, 1996	Denver		Paramount Theatre
November 8, 1996	Paradise		The Joint
November 9, 1996	Berkeley		Berkeley Community Theatre
November 11, 1996	Los Angeles		Universal Amphitheatre
November 13, 1996	Mesa		Mesa Amphitheatre
November 14, 1996	Albuquerque		Kiva Auditorium
November 16, 1996	Tulsa		Brady Theater
November 17, 1996	Memphis		Orpheum Theatre
November 18, 1996	Nashville		Tennessee Performing Arts Center
November 19, 1996	Jackson		Jackson Municipal Auditorium
November 21, 1996	New Orleans		Lakefront Arena
November 22, 1996	Birmingham		Boutwell Memorial Auditorium
November 23, 1996	Shreveport		Municipal Memorial Auditorium
January 26, 1997	New Orleans		Louisiana Superdome
Europe
January 29, 1997	Helsinki	Finland	Helsinki Ice Hall
January 31, 1997	Stockholm	Sweden	Icestadium
February 1, 1997	Borlänge		Arena Kupolen
February 3, 1997	Malmö		Baltiska Hallen
February 4, 1997	Copenhagen	Denmark	Valby Hallen
February 5, 1997	Hamburg	Germany	Alsterdorfer Sporthalle
February 6, 1997	Rostock		Stadthalle
February 7, 1997	Kassel		Eissporthalle
February 9, 1997	Warsaw	Poland	Torwar Hall
February 10, 1997	Katowice		Spodek
February 11, 1997	Prague	Czech Republic	Sportovní hala
February 13, 1997	Graz	Austria	Eisstadion Liebenau
February 14, 1997	Bratislava	Slovakia	Slovan Sports Hall
February 16, 1997	Memmingen	Germany	Eissporthalle
February 17, 1997	Munich		Zenith
February 18, 1997	Offenbach		Stadthalle
February 20, 1997	Bern	Switzerland	Festhalle
February 21, 1997	Nuremberg	Germany	Frankenhalle
February 23, 1997	Brussels	Belgium	Forest National
February 24, 1997	Utrecht	Netherlands	Central Studios
February 27, 1997	Paris	France	Zénith de Paris
February 28, 1997	Bordeaux		Patinoire Mériadeck
March 1, 1997	Huesca	Spain	Pabellón Municipal de Huesca
March 2, 1997	Bilbao		Pabellón Municipal de Deportes
March 4, 1997	A Coruña		Plaza de Toros de La Coruña
March 6, 1997	Madrid		La Riviera
March 7, 1997	Barcelona		Palau dels Esports de Barcelona
March 8, 1997	Pau	France	Le Zénith

References