Rob the Concert Guy

90s alternative bands are out and about! I remember in the late 90s and early 20s, there was a big comeback for the 80s hair bands. And it was awesome. Big rock shows with pyros, guitar solos, drum solos, dancing women on the stages and more. Now in the 2020s, many of the 90s alternative bands are coming back around, though not the grunge guys as there aren’t many left. Bush is one of these bands and I saw them on April 27, 2023 at Foxwoods in Connecticut.

They had an opener called “Devora.” She’s a blonde female singer with an identity crisis who dubs herself “Goth Dolly Parton.” The only thing Dolly-ish about her is she has blonde hair and wears a cowgirl hat. It wasn’t country, it wasn’t goth, and it wasn’t good. I guess she has a new EP out that she’s promoting, but I won’t be buying it. Also, her sound guy should be fired. There was so much bass that it really just drowned everything else out. Maybe she’s actually decent, but since I could barely hear her singing or the guitars, it was just bad. Maybe I’ll give a listen to her single just to give her a fair shot…but also maybe not.

Bush. I did not see them in their heyday so this was a first for me. They were decent. They opened with Identity from their “Art of Survival” album…which I’d never heard and I wasn’t alone. Open with a hit, dammit!

Next was Machine Head, a 90s alternative staple. Energetic song with a catchy hook. They also played Everything Zen during the night. Another 90s Bush staple. Lots of energy, another catchy hook, and the stupidest lyrics. You know I’m right – “Mickey mouse has grown up a cow.” But it was cool. They did a mix of hits and new stuff. Gavin Rossdale, who is apparently the only original member of Bush at this time, claimed the new album is the number one rock album in America. I can’t confirm this myself, but I think there are a million different charts out there these days so who knows.

Gavin is 57 years old these days, but still puts on a show, complete with running through the full first floor of the theater and singing while greeting fans. He was about 10 feet away from us at one point. One thing to note, Gavin dances a lot like Carlton…and they didn’t play Swallowed.

The show was pretty good overall. Maybe a 5 or 6 out of 10. But in full disclosure, I was dealing with appendicitis and ended up having an appendectomy the next day. So maybe it was harder for me to enjoy…but the concert going must go on!

Setlist:

• Identity
• Machine head
• Quicksand
• Bullet holes
• Chemicals between us
• Flowers on a grave
• Everything Zen
• Heavy is the ocean?
• More than machines
• All things must change
• Little things

Encore:

• Glycerine (Gavin Solo)
• Come down