Live In Tampa (CD/DVD)

Bush

Cleopatra/MVD, 2020

http://bushofficial.com

REVIEW BY: Pete Crigler

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: 08/05/2020

It’s hard to believe it, but this is the first live album by Bush, best known at this point as the Gavin Rossdale and Friends band as he is now the only original member left. Regardless of their reduced circumstances, the band went on a 25th anniversary tour with Live in the summer of 2019 and this is where the show comes from. The CD comes with a Blu Ray/DVD combo and the show looks good, but the crowd is awful. They have very little reaction; it’s more like they’re at a winery rather than enjoying a nostalgic rock show. But the band still sounds good, particularly on the hits, which is really why we’re all here to begin with.my_heart_sings_the_harmony_web_ad_alt_250

The band does stick to the hits, sprinkling a few deep cuts such as “Body” and “Disease Of The Dancing Cats,” but their newer tracks like “Bullet Holes” and “The Sound Of Winter” don’t come across as well, even though the latter is an actually decent track. The crowd reacts just as you’d expect. “This Is War,” a track I wasn’t aware of, is actually really good and showcases a heavier sound than we’d grown accustomed to from this band. Hits like “Everything Zen” and “The Chemicals Between Us” still sound great. Gavin Rossdale is still giving it his all in every performance, but I can’t help but feel like I’m listening and watching a band that is no longer relevant or hit-worthy playing their hits to an indifferent crowd at an amphitheater that might come in handy for state fairs.

Songs like “Comedown” and “Glycerine” were songs I never really cared for even back in the day and I’m still not fans of them, but the crowd does go nuts for them so it’s clear they still have their appeal. Others like “Swallowed” have not aged well and it shows in their reaction.

All in all, it’s a fairly enjoyable performance. The band looks and sounds great and the songs still have the same type of whatever energy they initially possessed, but it’s pure nostalgia at this point. So have at it with what you will.

Rating: B-

User Rating: Not Yet Rated


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