– Words by Jordan Buford / Photos by Ronnie Jackson –
Gas Monkey Live – Dallas, TX / Thursday, May 4th, 2017

Bush Has Mad Love for Their Dallas Fans at U.S. Tour Kickoff Show

Bush was making their way to the U.S., the British rock outfit ready to tour the states in support of their seventh studio album, Black and White Rainbows, and Dallas was getting the first show of the run that will stretch on into the summer.

Gas Monkey Live was teeming with life, the loyal fans excited to see Bush’s first show in the city in a couple of years, erupting into fanfare when the video screens on either side of the stage would suddenly dim. It was nothing but a false alarm, though it perfectly highlighted the anticipation everyone felt, being palpable until everything finally came to a head when the quartet stepped out onto the stage at 9:02.

They read the emotions in the room well, knowing everyone was expecting something fantastic from them, and Bush aimed to deliver.

A few new songs were peppered in throughout their 94-minute long set, though they were well aware of the fact that everyone was hoping most for the hits, and, happy to oblige, they played nearly all of them, “Everything Zen” earning some thunderous fanfare while acting as an electrifying number. It instantly demonstrated how tight Gavin Rossdale, Chris Traynor, Corey Britz, and Robin Goodridge were, every move each of them made were done in perfect time to the music. Just what one would expect from such seasoned veterans.

Rossdale greeted everyone with an incredibly exuberant sounding “Hello!” chatting with the spectators on occasion this night, his chipper demeanor helping make the crowd even more receptive to “Peace-S”, the first of the new material this night. It fit well with the rest of their arsenal, that song, in particular, having more of a classic Bush vibe about it.

They managed to establish a connection with everyone while keeping the flow of the show constant, knocking out one song after another, and, somewhat surprisingly, “The Sound of Winter” wound up being one that best highlighted their musicianship. After getting a thorough warm-up Rossdale was bouncing around at times, while Traynor and Britz rocked out on their guitar and bass, respectively, with sheer confidence as they roamed about the place, Goodridge attacking his drum kit with a fury.

By that early point in the show, they were a force to be reckoned with and they only continued to strengthen their chemistry, “The People That We Love” being one of the few songs that Rossdale put his guitar away for. He enjoyed the extra mobility that allowed him, quickly making his way into the pit and singing to some of the fans that were pressed up against the barricade and simply did everything he could to further energize the crowd.

While there were plenty of exhilarating moments, Bush also touched on several of the slower numbers from their catalog. It was an interesting counterbalance. Some acts may not be able to pull that off without killing the vibe, making such a sharp change sonically, “Letting The Cables Sleep” providing one of those more subdued moments, though the fans relished hearing that classic from 1999’s The Science of Things.

The show came to a spectacular finish, fanfare drowning out the final notes that resonated throughout the near capacity venue, though noticeably, a few songs were missing.

Those had been saved for the encore, a handful of Bush’s most beloved songs – all from Sixteen Stone – and a surprise cover being worked into the final stretch.

Patrons echoed along with every word of “Glycerine”, while “Comedown” provided the most epic moment of the night. Without uttering a single word, Rossdale made clear that he was turning things over to the fans who instinctively sang one of the final choruses, the four-piece outfit smiling out at everyone.

With that, everyone was appeased and ecstatic, riding a wave of euphoria as they headed for the doors; Britz, Goodridge, Traynor and Rossdale staying on stage for a few moments, waving to everyone as they expressed their gratitude to the spectators for coming out to support them.

Walking a fine balance of intense rock numbers and entrancing delicate tracks, Bush demonstrated the best of both of their sides, being nothing less than enthralling as they executed the charged set. The set list seemed perfectly crafted, containing an acceptable amount of new songs and a captivating mix of the old, touching on both the expected and unexpected.

As you watched how on point the four of them were, it was also easy to forget this was their first show of the tour, the musicians already appearing to be in perfect touring shape, being in tune with one another and knowing just how to best appeal to the crowd. Indeed, the show felt like it was all for the fans, something that’s relatively rare these days, though clearly, Bush hasn’t lost sight of who got them to the position they’re in and this night they strove to repay those who have supported them in any way over the years with a show that won’t soon be forgotten. And it won’t.

Setlist

“Everything Zen”
“Peace-S”
“The Chemicals Between Us”
“Greedy Fly”
“The Sound of Winter”
“Mad Love”
“Nurse”
“Sky Turns Day Glo”
“The Only Way Out”
“The People That We Love”
“Swallowed”
“Lost in You”
“Letting The Cables Sleep”
“The Beat of Your Heart”
“Little Things”

Encore
“Machinehead”
“The One I Love” (R.E.M. cover)
“Glycerine”
“Comedown”