Bush turns up the heat on an already sweltering night in Louisville.
Gavin Rossdale said it best when shortly into Bush’s set he proclaimed, “This heat is insane!” 4th St Live!, a unique outdoor concert setting surrounded by several levels of bars and restaurants, hosted Bush on one of the hottest and most humid nights of summer, but that didn’t slow Bush down at all. The place was packed with people both on the floor and along every railing on two levels. Everyone had been hydrating and was ready to party when Bush took the stage and got right down to business by launching into “Everything’s Zen”.
What followed was over 90 minutes of full blown grunge alt rock that had everyone jumping, head banging and throwing themselves into the music. The set was a balance of old favorites such as “Chemicals Between Us” and “Swallowed” along with songs from their current release Black and White Rainbows including the first single “Mad Love” as well as “Peace S” and “Nurse”.
Rossdale was in perpetual motion for the entire show, jumping and bouncing while playing guitar, moving to the brink of the stage while he sang, interacting with the fans up close, playing off of bass player, Corey Britz, He never stopped. Within minutes of starting their set, he had a shiny glow about him, sweat dripping off his fingers as he played his guitar and flying off him as he spoke and gestured. If it was hot it in the audience, it had to be steamy under the stage lights.
Every great show has a few highlights and this one had more than a few. At the end of their set, during 1994’s grunge classic “Little Things”, Gavin Rossdale left the stage and made his way through the packed standing room crowd while singing this song, finally finding a perch atop a bar where he encouraged everyone to sing and get involved. The energy level in the crowd grew by about 100%.
Coming back onstage for their 4-song encore Rossdale predicted, “You’ll probably know some of these.” It only took the first few notes of Bush classic, “Machinehead” to get the crowd bouncing with arms in the air, everyone singing along. This was followed by a cover of REM’s “The One I Love” which Bush was able to make their own without changing the essence of the original. The last highlight of the night came when Gavin Rossdale performed a moody “Glycerine” alone on stage, at one point leaving his guitar silent while the crowd sang the lyrics. It was an intimate moment between him and the crowd before the band came back to play the final song of the night, “Countdown”. 15 songs in over 90 minutes of hot sweaty togetherness with Bush was a first-rate way to spend a Friday night in Louisville!
Louisville based Velvet Saints provided support for the night with their blend of 80’s electronic sound and rock with a splash of dance music. It is a combination that works and made for an entertaining set. They were well received by the crowd and got the night started in a welcome way.
