By photojournalist Jeffrey Moellering

Dweezil Zappa’s January 23rd performance at the Bilheimer Capitol Theatre in Clearwater was nothing short of electrifying. The intimate setting of the historic venue provided the perfect backdrop for an evening filled with virtuosic guitar work, complex compositions, and a heartfelt homage to Frank Zappa’s legendary catalog, which left the full house feeling both nostalgic for the past and thankful for the stewardship of the senior Zappa’s guitar wielding son.

Playing Frank Zappa’s intricate compositions presents a challenge for any musician, but thankfully Dweezil had expert tutelage from luminary teachers such as guitarist Steve Vai, who played with Frank’s band, and none other than Eddie Van Halen, who hailed from the Los Angeles area, where the Zappa family lived. Dweezil learned the flashy metal guitar licks yet has committed to playing his father’s broad ranging music, which opens him up to scrutiny, because creating Frank Zappa’s music faithfully requires mastery of many genres. The elder Zappa was a prolific composer, releasing more than 60 albums during his lifetime, before passing of colon cancer at 52 in 1993. Zappa’s eclecticism, irreverence, satirical takes on society, and dedication to the music, has kept his active fan base very much engaged and appreciative of those who accept the rather daunting task of performing it live.

This tour is labeled as ROX(POSTROPH)Y 2025 and celebrates the 50th anniversary of his father’s beloved “Roxy and Elsewhere” live album, and the 1974 “Apostrophe” studio album, both of which are consistently considered among fans sentimental favorites from Zappa’s extensive repertoire. Frank was always on the leading edge of tech, and he recorded nearly all his hundreds of live performances in very hi-fi sound. This has left a huge vault of information for son Dweezil to explore, and he is now playing versions of Frank’s live songs on this tour that have not been heard by the public.

It’s been several years since Dweezil’s last tour, due to Covid, the high costs of taking a band on the road, and internal family disputes related to the Zappa Family Trust. The Los Angeles fires have also posed great challenges and limited the band’s rehearsal time before this latest leg of the tour. However, like his father Frank, Dweezil has assembled a band of the finest musicians, able to execute the hairpin turns, odd time signatures and silliness, all within the confines of a rock song.

Dweezil opened the set with a funky rendition of “The Deathless Horsie,” a kind of a reggae vamp that sunk the crowd comfortably into festivities. The band brought Frank’s compositions to life with a fresh yet faithful energy. Tracks like “Cosmik Debris” and “Inca Roads” had the audience swaying and laughing, between moments of groove and jaw-dropping instrumentation.

Frank was famous for his “anything goes” live shows, replete with improvisations on both instruments and objects at hand. Dweezil is keeping that craziness alive, allowing the show to go where the music and crowd takes it. The Clearwater set featured extended versions of duck calls being comically played to the melody of popular songs from Guns N’ Roses, Kool & The Gang, and other cultural references. One of the more exploratory sequences of the evening was an impressive rendition of “Punky’s Whips”, from Frank’s 1978 “Live in New York” double album. The satire imagines then Zappa drummer Terry Bozzio in a romantic longing for glam metal band Angel’s guitarist, Punky Meadows, and Bozzio’s conflicted emotions over such feelings. It’s a quite complex piece of music dripping with sardonic wit, highlighting the superficiality nature of pop culture.

Inclusion of such “deep cuts” had Dweezil engaged with the crowd, sharing stories about his father’s music and his own journey of keeping the Zappa legacy alive. These moments of connection added a personal touch that resonated deeply with fans. There were many Frank newbies in attendance, which was great to see, exploring the rich catalog decades later. While the setlist included many fan favorites, which ensured that everyone was entertained, performing some of the more obscure cuts told the neophytes that “they would be swimming in the deep end, with no life preserver”. That’s just how Frank would have liked it, always challenging the listener to expand both their cultural preconceptions about propriety, and how music fits into that narrative.

The show continued unabated through over 2 hours plus of Zappa’s compositions, focusing mostly on songs from between 1972 and 1978. Frank coined a term called “Conceptual Continuity”, which meant that there was an interconnectedness to all his music, from the very beginning to the end. As such, his fans have fun tying together the many themes that are repeated throughout his repertoire. The ability to see the world in new and interesting ways, while keeping oneself grounded in principles provides a foundation for all artists to use as a kind of guidepost and true north in their pursuit.

The Bilheimer Capitol Theatre proved to be an ideal venue, offering pristine acoustics and an intimate atmosphere that allowed every note to shine. Fans left the show buzzing, grateful for the opportunity to experience the Zappa legacy in such a profound way. For lovers of progressive rock, jazz fusion, and pure musical artistry, Dweezil Zappa’s performance was an unforgettable journey. If his tour passes through your town, don’t miss the chance to witness this masterful celebration of one of music’s most unique legacies.

Dweezil closed the night with an encore of “Uncle Remus,” a bluesy R&B track that epitomizes the emotional depth of Frank’s work, and draws from his upbringing and appreciation of unheralded black artists from the 50’s and 60’s that didn’t achieve mainstream success, but were very influential in Zappa’s compositions. The performance was raw and poignant, leaving the audience in reflective silence before erupting into a standing ovation.

As Dweezil’s father Frank lamented in the lyrics below from “Uncle Remus”, with a nod to simple plantation folklore lessons in contemplating the absurdities of life – just maybe the little guy CAN win in the end. Frank’s fans continue carrying that hope with them, passing the lamp of light to guide the way to a kind of denied but well-deserved deliverance.

“Just keep your nose to the grindstone, they say
Will that redeem us, Uncle Remus?
I can’t wait ’til my ‘fro is full-grown
I’ll just throw away my doo-rag at home
I’ll take a drive to Beverly Hills, just before dawn
An’ knock the little jockeys off the rich people’s lawn
An’ before they get up, I’ll be gone!”