Bush League Awesome Sound And Million-Sellers Aren’t Enough To Elevate This Band To Greatness
Bush, Goo Goo Dolls and No Doubt Sunday, April 28, at the Spokane Arena
Isn’t it about time we critics lighten up on Bush and start giving the band the respect it feels it deserves?
Not yet at least.
Bush has proved itself a worthy seller, since album sales of “Sixteen Stone” are approaching 4 million. Bush has also demonstrated it can write one hit after another. Even more, the band can fill seats.
Unfortunately, the London scrunge combo has yet to put together a compelling live show.
Bush, which played the Spokane Arena’s maiden rock concert Sunday, launched its set with urgency by playing its current smash “Machinehead,” whose riff seems to have come from the Epitaph Records school of punk. Starting with this number was a model way to grab the crowd.
In many ways, the rest of the band’s performance went downhill from there. And when you find yourself yawning three songs into the set, the band has obviously faltered.
Indeed, Bush sounded great. The four members clearly played inspired. And the colossal sound system suited the band and the arena well.
The problem was rooted in Bush’s material, which was consistently mundane and lacked cohesion throughout the night.
The foursome extended a few songs beyond their normal lengths, which is always a dangerous move. In Bush’s case, the band just kind of meandered aimlessly three-quarters of the way into the songs, throwing out very few hooks to hold interest. It was almost a relief to hear the band come back to the final chorus, because there were times when it seemed as if Bush was lost.
Also, Bush didn’t shift past mid-tempo more than a couple of times Sunday. More tempo changes might have made the concert more climactic.
Lastly, singer-guitarist Gavin Rossdale’s deeply anguished voice was annoying and downright cumbersome. Whining as if you’re in constant pain is fine for a few songs. But all of them?
No Doubt, the concert’s opening band, offered up the most spectacular show of the night.
The sterile production on No Doubt’s latest album, “Tragic Kingdom,” constrains the band from letting loose.
On stage, No Doubt, led by flamboyant soprano Gwen Stefani, was unstoppable.
The Orange County band, augmented by the punch of a two-piece horn section, churned out a furiously infectious mix of ska, reggae, punk and new wave, complete with sound that was big and fat.
No Doubt’s music is inherently fun and energetic. Even though Sunday was the first time most of the audience had heard the group’s songs, with the exception of the single “Just a Girl,” No Doubt effortlessly got the crowd bouncing and pogoing.
The Goo Goo Dolls, second on the bill, weren’t awful but their take on sugar-coated power pop wasn’t anything to jump out of your seat for. Since the trio utilized the same key for most of its songs, they blurred together.
However, the acoustic “Name” deserved every bit of applause it garnered.
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