Billy Gibbons/ Associated Press

ZZ Top is a guilty pleasure. But the Texas trio could be an unqualified pleasure.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Famers' 85-minute concert Thursday at soldout Mystic Lake Casino was KQRS- and MTV-evoking fun, but it wasn't as musically rewarding as it could have been.

Billy Gibbons is a terrific blues guitarist but he rarely cut loose on Thursday. Too often, he settled for short and sweet solos as if he were curtailing his fretwork so the tune could fit on the radio. This was a concert — rock on, as he did on the encore of "La Grange." Enough with the facile riffs and cool gimmickry. Pour some emotion into it.Gibbons did that on a cover of Jimi Hendrix's "Hey Joe" with a tortured blues passage and on "Brown Sugar," a grungey blues-rock burner.

Gibbons' vocals were more consistently fulfilling. His parched voice sounded like he'd been up all night smoking and drinking. He sounded raunchy in a good way. The tone added some authenticity to the bluesy sound. Just wish his guitar playing hadn't been so casual and short.

Bassist Dusty Hill, who could win a Leon Russell look-alike contest, and drummer Frank Beard were rock-solid, as always. A giant video screen behind the band flashed images of car parts, hot babes and clips from ZZ Top's MTV classics. And, of course, Hill and Gibbons played their fur-covered instruments during "Legs."

Here is ZZ Top's set list:

Got Me Under Pressure/ Waitin' for the Bus/ Jesus Just Left Chicago/ Pincushion/ I'm Bad I'm Nationwide/ Future Blues/ Cheap Sunglasses/ Hey Joe/ Brown Sugar/ Party on the Patio/ Just Got Paid/ Gimme All Your Lovin'/ Sharp Dressed Man/ Legs ENCORE La Grange/ Tush