Concert review: Bush | 08.10.24, Saint Louis Music Park (with photo gallery)

Photo of Gavin Rossdale of Bush by Laura Jerele

I first saw Bush in St. Louis many years ago at the much-revered Mississippi Nights back in 1995. They were young, heavily favored with talent and looks, full of youthful energy and trademark British broodiness. I continued to catch them many, many times as they passed through St. Louis through a myriad of venues, big and small. To think that I’ve been seeing this band for nearly 30 years really made me feel old.

Fast-forward to yesternight where Bush headlined a sold out show at Saint Louis Music Park on one of those weather-perfect St. Louis summer nights that almost doesn’t seem real. The place was packed! People were excited! And I have to admit… So was I. 

For as much attention as vocalist Gavin Rossdale gets, he doesn’t take it for granted, he works it to where he absorbs the energy and gives it right back. Rossdale is fit AF, has as much energy now as he did the very first time I saw him, and his voice is annoyingly flawless. He sings without mercy, his voice is still absolutely perfect, he dances, he interacts with the crowd. He doesn’t hold back. There’s definitely no shoegazing here. The band, while not original members, is a stellar four-piece of massive volume and really talent players—lead guitarist Chris Traynor, bassist Corey Britz, and drummer Nik Hughes. They kicked right into huge hits to start their set with “Everything Zen” and “Machinehead” and I swear the crowd was losing its mind hearing such fan favorites at the front of the set rather than during the encore. Man, those songs were such radio hits in the nineties! 

Part of the show included bringing the VIP members to part of the stage—earlier in the day, they were treated to an acoustic performance by that band and a meet and greet. The stage was vast with a wall of stark white amps, a massive drum riser and ramps that felt reminiscent of eighties arena stages. Rossdale performed a reworked, slowed version of “Swallowed” that had way more emotion in this reimagined performance, and he thrilled the audience by going out into the crowd for “Flowers On A Grave.”  No surprise here, people were literally crying when they performed “Glycerine.” Say what you want… Bush may have never been the critics’ darlings, but they were a band for their throngs of fans. Bush music pretty much wrote the soundtrack to people’s lives throughout the nineties and last night many people relieved it with a hell of a lot of heart and soul on a perfect summer night. It’s the little things. 

See what I did there? | Laura Jerele