Bush Live at Boston’s House of Blues

by | Feb 25, 2015 | Concerts & Festivals, Reviews

At Chicago’s Riviera Theatre February 13, 2015

The boys of Bush never basked so brightly than last night at House of Blues. Frontman Gavin Rossdale marveled at the band’s seemingly immortal reverie that has managed to span two decades. Their debut album, 1994’s Sixteen Stone, practically lit listeners’ on fire with its dissonant guitars and swarming, melodically distended songs. And to a packed Boston crowd, transcendence back to the 90s was merely a few guitar chords away and was quickly ignited as Bush ripped into “The Sound Of Winter” as their first song of the night. Onlookers were inherently tumultuous as no catalogue favorite was left unturned. “Everything Zen” was provocative in its pace; “The Chemicals Between Us” and “Letting The Cables Sleep” were eccentric in its rhythmic patience and the way Rossdale held various notes and words. Amidst familiar tracks, Bush wasn’t afraid to sneak in a few lesser known jewels.

Cuts from 2014’s Man on the Run like “Bodies in Motion” and “This House is on Fire” weren’t moments made for full blown sing alongs, but that didn’t deter Rossdale’s piercingly clear vocals encased in throaty shivers of electric guitars. “Little Things” and “Machinehead” clearly filled this void and sent fans into a frenzy. Their cover of “Once in a Lifetime” by Talking Heads was a nice alt rock curveball, but the highlight of the night was “Glyercine.” Rossdale’s deceptive restraint and retrospect elevated the saccharine ballad and seemingly unfurled in slow motion. Although the band may be tired of performing the song, melodies flowed with the same type of urgency and riven poignancy as it did on Sixteen Stone. “Comedown” was the last song of the evening and aligned almost perfectly with those singing and swaying in the audience: we’ve been floating for the last hour and a half during their set and weren’t ready to descend just yet.