Bush w/ The Kickback
Shobox SoDo, Seattle, WA
05.30.17

Having grown up in the grunge/alternative capitol of the known universe during its heyday, there was plenty of allure and anticipation from Seattle’s fans to bear witness to Bush, one of alt-rock’s iconic bands, at their Showbox SoDo performance. Concertgoers from gen-Xers to millennials sold out the night to see Gavin Rossdale and Co. perform their hits of past and present with palpable excitement.

Opening for Bush were Chicago rockers The Kickback. They had a classic style to them; disheveled rock star chic with an affable personality. Their music was a no-nonsense brand of rock that evoked visions of garages and house shows. Part of that aforementioned endearing personality was their willingness to be completely honest about the tribulations of the artist lifestyle. Case in point, they laid themselves on the mercy of the crowd and pleaded with them to buy merch or just give them money because their van blew up and was in the shop. If they could not pay for it, they were not headed to San Francisco.

In the end, through their catchy licks or immense chemistry, I think they got through to the crowd, especially when they ended their set with this lament, “My guitar’s given up on me/my microphone’s given up on me/but you haven’t given up on me.  I f***ing love you.” Mic drop, end set.

At that point, the crowd pushed further forward to try and get a perfect vantage point of Rossdale and his band, touring in support of their 2017 release, Black and White Rainbows. When the band finally made their way to the stage, you would have thought it was the mid-90’s by the ovation and love they received from the crowd.

With blonde streaks in his hair and that familiar mischievous grin, Rossdale commanded the stage from the first downbeat of their opener, “Everything Zen,” a perfectly familiar track to get the night rolling.  Rossdale still had that effortless rasp to his voice that was powerful and tender almost simultaneously, as demonstrated in melodic ballads such as “Swallowed” and “Mad Love, “ not to mention hard driving tracks like “The Chemicals Between Us” and “People That I love.”

The performance of the night came when the band performed, “Alien.” Such a hauntingly beautiful track off of the iconic 1994 release, Sixteen Stone, it was a complete package of tight guitar riffs, maddeningly heart-wrenching vocals, and strong foundation between the bassist and drummer. The crowd was singing along during the chorus, but during the rest of the song, it was the quietest time of the night.

After the band took their well-deserved pre-encore break, they came out refreshed and ready take on the R.E.M classic, “The One I Love.” Rossdale, who attended the late Chris Cornell’s funeral, paid tribute to him during the song by leading the crowd in a somber sing-a-long to the chorus of “Black Hole Sun” and pointing up to the sky. The end of the night brought Bush’s breakout hit “Comedown” to the stage and it seemed the band caught their fifth wind as the night came to an end the way it started, with the entire venue shaking with the frenetic energy of both band and audience.

Let’s get into clichés; Bush has aged like a freaking fine wine.  Even with a different line-up than the original and with much tread on their musical tires, they sounded better than ever and espoused pure rock n’ roll joy.  Their music has stood the test of time and their new offerings have stayed true to their musical roots while inspiring a new generation of Bush fans.  Honestly, did we expect anything less?

Review and photos by Phillip Johnson

Bush


The Kickback