Oh Yea......Bush reunited



The two guys in the middle are still in the band.

Another drop in the reunion bucket, English  rockers Bush reunited this past summer. You remember Bush right, the post-grunge radio rockers with massive hits like "Everything Zen' 'Machine Head' and 'Glyerine'. Critics hated the group, labeling them Nirvanna copy cats trying to be Pearl Jam, despite this their debut album, Sixteen Stone, went six times platinum in the US. Success continued for the group through the 90's, they released three more albums, usually one every two years, but each album was slightly less successful than it's predecessors. The band's popularity continually diminished into the new millennium. Their final release, 2001's Golden State, went largely unnoticed without a major hit single, and was the only Bush album not earn a Platinum sales status (it has yet to even reach Gold). In 2002, the band went on their last tour. Original guitarist Nigel Pulsford left the group before the tour, wanting to spend more time with his family; he was replaced by Chris Traynor. Following the tour, the group officially called it quits.

Following the demise of Bush, leader singer Gavin Rossdale has done a number of things. He married and started a family with No Doubt(who have also reunited) singer Gwen Stefani, started the new band Institute with Chris Traynor (they made only one album), was in a couple movies (Zoolander, Constantine, etc.), and started a solo career. Rossdale's 2008 solo album, WANDERlust, was originally suppose to be a new Bush album but Nigel was uninterested in contributing. The album was produced by Bob Rock, famed rock producer (Metallica, Aerosmith, Motley Cru), and again featured guitar work by Chris Traynor as well as backing vocals by Katy Perry (before she was famous). In 2008, Rossdale also told Spin Magazine that a Bush reunion was "highly likely".

Nostalgia is a powerful force, and as the 2000s rolled on there became a demand for early 90s acts. Despite disappearing from the music scene, Bush's hit singles retained regular rotation on modern rock stations all across the country; bringing the band new fans. Following a marginally successful solo career, Rossdale still desired to reserect his old band. Seemingly unable to bring back Nigel on guitar (it's unclear whether bassist Dave Parsons was contacted), Rossdale annouced on June 21, 2010 that Bush was reuniting and working on a new album. That same day the band also released it's new single "Afterlife" and annouced they would make their live concert return on September 25 at the Epicenter Music Festival.

So Bush is back, but not really. The four guys who made all of Bush's hit radio singles and made all four Bush albums, are not the four guys currently in the band. Rossdale and drummer Robin Goodridge are the remains of the old band Bush. Traynor has replaced Nigel again, like he did on the final Bush tour, and Corey Bitz has replaced Dave Parsons. Not really a reuino, more of a relaunch. In February, Bush 2.0 will release it's new album Everything Always Now. No word on any future tour dates as of yet.

The Setlist from the Band's first show in eight years is as follows:

Machine Head

Little Things

Afterlife

Everything Zen

Greedy Fly

The Chemicals Between Us

Swallowed

Glycerine

Comedown

Pretty much a perfect Bush setlist, all the major hits are included plus the new song. After the Epicenter performance, the band did a small six date tour visiting California, Arizona, Texas, and Florida. The Epicenter setlist is very telling to the band's discography, as well as the group's biggest problem: equaling the success of their first album Sixteen Stone. Out of the 11 song set, 5 songs come off of Sixteen Stone. Of the remaining 4, 2 are off the second album, 1 is off the third, and 1 is the group's latest single. Golden State remains unrepresented. On their small headlining tour, the setlist remains the same with the addition of 3 songs; 1 more from Sixteen Stone and 2 more from album three, The Science of Things.



We'll have to wait and see what Bush does in 2011. Rock on the Range maybe?