Review by : Kelly Besaw
Photos by : Chris Besaw
Bush, the multi-platinum, English rock band treated fans to a near sold out show at the beautiful historic Landmark Theater in Syracuse, NY Sunday evening. They brought along with them Eva Under Fire and Bad Wolves.
American rock band Eva Under Fire, hailing from Detroit, Michigan, kicked things off. I honestly had not heard of them and was curious. After a little research, I discovered that they have been around since 2015 and have two albums out, the most recent released in 2022 titled Love, Drugs & Misery. Lead singer Amanda “Eva Marie” Lyberg has a powerful voice and an equally captivating stage presence. I along with the other early concert attendees enjoyed their short but rousing set. Notable highlights include, “Devil in Disguise,” a cover of Journey’s “Separate Ways” and their final song of the evening, “Blow.” Lyberg’s vocal range and abilities can certainly handle just about any song. She got the crowd amped up with a sing along interlude of Queen’s “We Will Rock You.” The band, particularly Lyberg, hung out in the lobby after their set and talked with fans and took selfies. I was impressed and can’t wait to see more from them.
Up next was heavy metal band Bad Wolves. This was my first time seeing them as well. They are reminiscent of Five Finger Death Punch and put on a bass pounding forty-minute performance. They were well received by the now packed crowd at the Landmark. Highlights included their hit song “Sober” and of course their well-known cover of the Cranberries hit “Zombie” the song that launched Bad Wolves onto the scene. They are currently on tour for their latest release “Die About It” and I expect that they will be touring throughout summer 2024.
Up next was Bush. Lead singer Gavin Rossdale along with lead guitarist Chris Traynor, bassist Corey Britz and drummer Nik Hughes took the stage and after a brief drum pounding intro from Hughes, they kicked things off with the high-energy hit “Everything Zen” and kept the crowd on their feet singing along with “Machinehead.” I personally enjoyed “Greedy Fly” live. It brings a new dimension to the song that the studio recording lacks. The crowd consisting mostly of females hoping to get a good glimpse or a fist bump from Gavin Rossdale seemed mostly pumped to hear the songs from the band’s most popular album Sixteen Stone. While songs like “Machinehead,” “Everything Zen,” “Little Things,” “Glycerine” and “Comedown” are great live, I thought that some of the more interesting highlights of the evening were “Blood River,” “The Sound of Winter,” “More Than Machines” and “Heavy is the Ocean.” I felt that they showcased the evolution of the sound of the band.
During the song “Flowers on a Grave,” Gavin bravely left the stage and ran through the crowd, past the soundboard area around and back down to the stage again much to the delight of fans. His efforts were not in vain, he did an excellent job of connecting with the fans. The Syracuse audience was also treated to “Letting the Cables Sleep.” This was the first time the band played the song live since 2019. I also loved Gavin’s description of the tour. Instead of calling it a “Greatest Hits” tour, he stated that, “I don’t want to call it that. That makes it sound like it is our final tour. Instead, this is a celebration, a celebration of music.” He also commented on how the band was having a great time, are getting along and have no plans to stop any time soon. That is great news for fans as they seem to come to the Syracuse area frequently. If you have never seen Bush live, I highly recommend it. They always put on an incredible show.
Setlist:
Everything Zen
Machinehead
Greedy Fly
The Chemicals Between Us
The People That We Love
Blood River
Swallowed
Nowhere to Go But Everywhere
The Sound of Winter
Letting the Cables Sleep
Heavy is the Ocean
Flowers on a Grave
All Things Must Change
Little Things
More Than Machines
Glycerine
Comedown
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