Bush Rock Chicago

On August 24th, nearly 9,000 fans packed the Hollywood Casino Amphitheater in Tinley Park, IL. for a late season show with Bush, Breaking Benjamin, and Alice In Chains. Bush most definitely did not beat around the bush, (yes, pun intended) and gave fans a show to remember. While fans were still filling their seats, Bush gave the early arriving fans the sweet '90s rock they have been playing for the last 3 decades.

In fact, they haven�t lost one joule of energy since their formation 3 decades ago. The current lineup includes; Chris Traynor on guitar, Nik Hughes on drums, Corey Britz on bass guitar, and of course the legendary Gavin Rossdale on guitar and vocals. Rossdale showcased his energy and enthusiasm moving across the stage with more vigor than some artists half his age. This show had bass so powerful that is could alter your heartbeat and lights practically bright enough to see from space. This was a really nice addition to their already spectacular performance.

Their 10 song set was filled with hits and special moments from beginning to end. During a lap through the crowd and on his way out to the fans on the lawn, Rossdale stopped to interact with a family in the handicap section, giving fans an up close and personal experience of a lifetime. He made one fans night as he sang and performed with him as if they were friends for generations. It's moment's like this where it's great to see a fantastic show but, it's more fantastic to see the human side and Rossdale certainly showed his caring personality in nature. He continued the thoughtfulness as he paid tribute to the band's road crew and families all while bringing his kids onstage to sing "Happy Birthday" to his son Zuma.

While the show was full of fun moments like this, one of the highlight of the evening was a chilling solo version of "Glycerine." The fan favorite still holds up and when Rossdale is belting out those lyrics with only his guitar, it is really something special to witness in a live setting. Of course a Bush show has to have that famous bass line intro going into their monster hit "Comedown" to close out the show.

I would have loved for Bush to play longer than the 10 songs as this tour has them usually doing 11 but, due to the birthday wishes to Gavin's son, they cut "The Chemicals Between Us." This band has such a vast catalog that they definitely left you wanting more. Even with the other bands on this bill, their set seemed way too short for a band of this stature. Hopefully, the next time they are out on tour they can play 18 or so songs and really give their fans a full show. Until then, I'm sure the Bush faithful won't be coming down from this excitement for quite awhile.