Frank Beard Set to Return to ZZ Top After Second 2025 Absence

ZZ Top drummer Frank Beard is returning to the road after missing nearly all of the band’s August shows due to an undisclosed medical issue.

The band announced that Beard would be back behind the drum kit at their Sept. 5 show in Tulsa. “The doctors did what they did so now I’m able to do what I do,” the typically publicity-shy drummer said in the statement. “Happy that it’s back to band business.”

According to fan reports, Beard had been missing in action since ZZ Top’s Aug. 8 show in Arcadia, Wisconsin, with Michael Monahan filling in for him. You can watch Monahan perform “Just Got Paid” with the band on Aug. 24 in Auburn, Washington below.

This is the second time in 2025 that Beard has been forced off the road. He left the band’s tour for about two months earlier this year. When he returned Beard revealed that he had been dealing with unspecified foot and ankle issues. For those shows Beard was replaced by the band’s longtime drum tech (and as the band noted, “fellow Texan”) John Douglas.

Read More: ZZ Top Lineup Changes – A Complete Guide

ZZ Top’s Elevation tour is currently set to run through November. The band’s lineup currently consists of Beard, guitarist and singer Billy Gibbons and bassist Elwood Francis. The latter joined the band in 2021 following the death of Dusty Hill.