When Bush announced the release of Loaded: The Greatest Hits 1994-2023 via Round Hill Records, I couldn’t believe it had been 30 years since they’d been together. I feel like I still remember when their debut album Sixteen Stone was released. Over 30 years this band has released so many wonderful singles and albums. And then they announced the “Loaded: Greatest Hits Tour” and I couldn’t be more thrilled. Bush on the road playing their greatest hits from their career was worth seeing. Along with them on the tour was Jerry Cantrell and Candlebox. I was fortunate enough to cover the tour at their stop in Jacksonville, FL.
While Jacksonville is a bit of a drive on a weekday night to see a concert, it is worth watching a show at Daily’s Place Amphitheater. The venue is built underneath the Jacksonville Jaguar stadium so it is covered from severe weather, it has amazing acoustics, and the view no matter where you are seated is fabulous. We couldn’t wait to get under the cover of the amphitheater because it was brutally hot outside. But, the heat didn’t stop crowds from coming to support Bush that night. It was a packed house and the crowd was ready to hear some hard rock.
We kicked off the night with Seattle’s own Candlebox. The band formed back in 1990 and rocked the airwaves with their self-titled debut album in 1993. The album was certified quadruple platinum. They’d release two more studio albums Lucy (1995) and Happy Pills (1998) before they separated. They reunited in 2006 and would release five more studio albums before announcing their retirement tour in June 2023. Their appearance is an extension of their final tour. Candlebox is Kevin Martin (vocals), Brian Quinn (lead guitar), Island Styles (rhythm guitar), Adam Kury (bass), and BJ Kerwin (drums).
Candlebox has always been a favorite band of mine. Since they released their debut album, I’ve had opportunities to see them and review their shows. I’ve never been disappointed in any of their performances. That night was no different. Candlebox sounded better than ever that evening. Kevin’s vocals are still incredible and he is a frontman like no other. He knows how to work a crowd so well and keep the crowd engaged. Brian and Island are phenomenal guitarists and rocked it during their set. Adam gets into the music so much and has an absolute ball on stage. BJ rocks the drums and loves playing those songs.
The setlist, while short as the openers, is still packed full of their best music. The majority of their set was from their self-debut album including songs “Arrow”, “Changes”, “Far Behind”, and closing with “You”. They also performed “Happy Pills” and “Elegante”. Overall, it was watching a greatest hits setlist and it was truly a great performance. While I understand their reason for hanging it up, I wish Candlebox would stay around a little bit longer. You can find their music and merch over at candleboxrocks.com.
Following them was Jerry Cantrell. Jerry was the founder and guitarist of the band Alice in Chains. He took over lead vocals in 2002 when vocalist Layne Staley passed away. Jerry started his solo career in 1998 with the release of the album Boggy Creek. He released three additional studio albums and will be releasing his fifth album I Want Blood on October 18, 2024.
Jerry and his band played a variety of songs from his solo work and Alice in Chains. His setlist included solo songs “Brighten”, “Psychotic Break”, “Vilified”, and “Atone”. From Alice in Chains they played their most well-known songs including “Man in the Box”, “Them Bones”, and closing their set with “Rooster”. Jerry and the band sounded fantastic and provided a great visual light show during their performance. You can find more of Jerry’s music and merch at both jerrycantrell.com and aliceinchains.com.
Then it was time for our headliners in Bush. The British rock band dominated the airwaves in 1994 when their album Sixteen Stone released. The album was certified platinum six times. The followed up with Razorblade Suitcase in 1996 and The Science of Things in 1999. Bush ended up separating in 2002 and reunited in 2010. Since their reunion, they released five studio albums, with the most recent being The Art of Survival in 2022. And then they released Loaded: The Greatest Hits 1994-2023 on November 10, 2023. Bush is Gavin Rossdale (vocals, rhythm guitar), Chris Traynor (lead guitar), Corey Britz (bass), and Nik Hughes (drums).
The anticipation was crackling in the air and when Nik took his place at the drums, the crowd at Daily’s Place went insane. Nik thundered off a few various drumbeats before the rest of the band took the stage and they jumped into their opening song of “Everything Zen” from Sixteen Stone. I was a little concerned as Gavin, to me, sounded like he was straining his voice through the song and not hitting the long notes I expected. Musically, the band sounded fantastic. Visually, it was blinding. Literally. The lighting crew put this massive white spotlight on Gavin during the song I don’t even know how he saw the crowd. And that light was hot enough that we could feel it. When they moved into “Machinehead” from the same album, I once again noticed it sounded like Gavin was straining and wondered if he was performing with a cold. When they rolled into “Bullet Holes” from 2020 album The Kingdom, Gavin sounded like his normal self and rocked out on stage.
Bush live is always an amazing show. Even with their newest member, Nik from 2019, they performed as if they’ve all played together for years. Nik is very animated as he plays on the drums and he loves smashing the drumheads for those thundering notes. He was a blast to watch perform during the show. Corey plays a solid bass and from his expressions enjoys himself on stage. He also has great vocals to complement Gavin during songs. Chris is very stoic as he plays, but that man can make a guitar wail. Chris jumped onto a set of speakers that was in the photo pit to get closer to the fans as he played. The fans at the barricade loved that moment. And then we get to Gavin. As much as Kevin Martin is an amazing frontman, Gavin takes it a level higher. Gavin has a unique voice that fits so well for Bush’s songs. When he’s not behind the mic singing and playing guitar, he is all over the stage as he sings. And during their performance of “Flowers on a Grave”, also from The Kingdom, Gavin jumped down into the audience and wandered around all of Daily’s Place. If people wanted a high-five, he gave one. If they wanted a hug, he hugged them back. If they wanted a selfie with him, he took one. Gavin did his best to ensure fans got time to spend with him during the song, which I thought was absolutely awesome.
As for those greatest hits songs performed that night, Bush had an amazing selection in support of their album. Outside of the songs already mentioned, they performed some of my favorites including “The Chemicals Between Us” from The Science of Things and “Swallowed” from Razorblade Suitcase. When Gavin performed Swallowed, he did it solo on stage under a spotlight. It was a great rendition of the song. My all-time favorite song that night was hearing “The Sound of Winter” from their 2011 album The Sea of Memories. There is something about the song that makes me want to crank the volume up loud and sing it at the top of my lungs. I probably replayed it on the way home at least five times over. They also performed their cover of The Beatles’ “Come Together”, which was a cool performance. Bush wrapped up the evening with two of the most popular songs from Sixteen Stone in “Glycerine” and “Comedown”. Check out the band’s music and merch over at bushofficial.com.
Overall, this was such an amazing night of rock music. I know the fans at Daily’s Place had a great time and I certainly did as well. If you ever have the opportunity to catch Bush on tour, definitely go see them. You will have a fantastic time and get to hear amazing music.
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