Florida humidity and rain couldn’t keep the fans away from The Florida State Fairgrounds as “The ALTimate Tour” came to The MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheater August 16, 2019. The iconic, 1990’s alternative rock bands, “Bush” and “Live”, were co-headlining a tour celebrating the 25th anniversary of Bush’s “Sixteen Stone” and Live’s “Throwing Copper”. Torontos’ “Our Lady Peace” opened the show with a 30 minute set as the crowd filed into their seats, cheering loudly. It was an electric night as Direct TV was filming and MarkHoran.Pictures was on hand to cover the action for MNPRmagazine.com.

Live hit the stage promptly at 8pm as a recording of The Rolling Stones “Gimme Shelter” played through the public address system, with video boards flashing a backdrop of the album “Throwing Copper”. Ed Kowalczyk came on stage in a black button-down shirt, red necklace, and sunglasses, looking very cool. His energy got the fans to their feet as the band went into “All Over You” from their 1994’s “Throwing Copper”, which sold over 9 million copies in the US.

What stood out within the set were two covers they performed, “Losing My Religion” by REM, and “Paint it Black” by The Rolling Stones. Front man Ed Kowalczyk prefaced the songs by saying these songs were a celebration of the band’s influences. It was a unique twist, and both songs were performed to perfection while the crowd cheered with approval. After an hour long set, the encore started with Kowalczyk playing an acoustic solo of “Heaven” and “Turn My Head”. Then, after much anticipation, the band joined him playing “Lightning Crashes”, which turned into an acapella audience sing-along to finish their night.

Live:

Chad Taylor– lead guitar, backing vocals
Patrick Dahlheimer– bass
Chad Gracey– drums
Ed Kowalczyk– lead vocals, rhythm guitar

SetList:

Gimme Shelter (The Rolling Stones song)
All Over You
Selling the Drama
Losing My Religion (E.M. cover)
Shit Towne
Requiem: I. Kyrie (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart song)
The Dolphin’s Cry
Paint It Black (The Rolling Stones cover)
Lakini’s Juice
I Alone
White, Discussion
Encore:
Heaven (Solo Ed, Acoustic)
Turn My Head (Solo Ed, Acoustic)
Lightning Crashes

With a delayed start at 9:35, due to the setup of Direct TV’s camera, Bush rolled out their explosive set, starting with “Machinehead” off their 1994 release “Sixteen Stone”. They also performed the new song from the soundtrack of John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum, “Bullet Holes”, which might be their hardest hitting song to date. Ageless Gavin Rossdale fronted the band with incredible energy, as he bounced on stage throughout the night. Rossdale at one point jumped off the stage and ran into the audience, as he has done throughout this tour. Finishing their set, Rossdale performed “Glycerine” solo, and the band joined in on “Comedown” to close out the night in explosive fashion.

The chemistry and energy is real, and this isn’t a band just going through the motions. This tour isn’t a trip down memory lane or a farewell tour, Bush is alive and well and set to release their eighth studio album “The Mind Plays Tricks on You”, due out this fall.

Bush:

Gavin Rossdale– lead vocals, rhythm guitar
Robin Goodridge – drums
Chris Traynor– lead guitar
Corey Britz – bass, backing vocals

SetList:

Concert Review on MNPRmagazine.com