On Saturday, November 5, in Huntsville, Alabama, during a ZZ Top concert, guitar tech Elwood Francis played a comically large 17-string electric bass. The band opened the show playing “Got Me Under Pressure,” with Francis was playing the large bass, much to the amusement of singer-guitarist Billy Gibbons. Once the song ended, Francis switched back to a standard four-string bass with no explanation.

Francis said he was doing some late night internet searching when he stumbled across the 17-string bass. He showed it to Gibbons and they laughed about before Francis ultimately forgot about it. “A few weeks later, after I had forgotten about it, Billy shows up with [the 17 string bass].” Francis described the situation as “one of those ‘hold my beer’ moments.”

When Francis took over for the late Dusty Hill, longtime bassist of ZZ Top, he ensured fans that the instrument is a bigger part of ZZ Top’s stage show than ever, and he took it literally! (Stereogum)