Concert Review: Bush put on a real rock show at Northern Quest

Last Saturday, alt-rock legends in the form of Bush took the stage at the Northern Quest Resort and Casino.

Bush immediately started the show with an energy that gave me goosebumps, especially from drummer Nik Hughes and lead singer/frontman Gavin Rossdale – who almost immediately started playing guitar on his back on the stage floor (although while I was taking pictures, I couldn’t particularly distinguish the intentionality of the act).

On this “LOADED: The Greatest Hits” tour, the band pulled out all the stops and played favorite after favorite in this “celebration of all things (Bush)” as Rossdale put it.

The whole band fired on all cylinders with electric squeals from guitarist Chris Traynor, powerful chords, relentless bass from Corey Britz and consistently emphatic drums from Hughes. If we’re talking rock shows, Bush not only did it right, but he put on the kind of show you should really be doing.

Rossdale’s tenacity as a performer is truly contagious as a viewer. With every song, he gives it his all; his voice deep and strong. He refuses to stand, sing and play guitar – emotional movement and crowd interaction are a must for the leader with so many years in the industry.

Speaking of not just standing and singing, Rossdale spent “Flowers on a Grave” running almost the entirety of the BECU Live Outdoor Venue, and I mean singing while running to the point of nosebleeds. It’s different, but it definitely gets the crowd more than excited, and it’s a way to keep your lungs in performance shape, I guess.

Bush’s standout performance kept the sold-out crowd alive throughout the evening, allowing the mostly older crowd to relive their glory days with iconic tracks like “Glycerine” while also embracing some of the band’s newer favorites . And with a 10th album on the way (which Rossdale expressed immense enthusiasm for in our interview a few weeks ago), it looks like Bush will continue to do what they’ve been doing for decades.