As a child of the 90’s I have always been a big fan of the band Bush, and the fact that Gavin Rossdale is great to look at doesn’t hurt either.  I preface this review with the previous statement so that you know what you’re in for—my biased review of a band whose lead singer can do no wrong.

The Riviera Theatre was completely packed Valentine’s Day Eve.  The show was sold out with a good variety of ages in the crowd.  You could tell that some people were there to relive their high school glory days, like me in my ’85 Chevette listening to a Bush cassette tape in my pink “boom box” from 3^rd grade, and others were there to hear their new material performed live.  Whatever your reason for being there, the band did not disappoint!  They played the perfect mix of old and new songs, and they even threw in a cover of “Once in a Lifetime” by the Talking Heads.  I was initially skeptical of the new music, but it sounded great live…now I know that you can’t always trust the radio.  If 90’s karaoke is your forte, their powerhouse of an encore was for you!  They played all of our favorites and encouraged crowd participation.

You would not believe that Rossdale is almost 50.  His stage presence is amazing and he thrilled the crowd by not only singing to the front row, but by going all the way up into the balcony to serenade fans up there as well.  According to my friend who is almost half his age, “he has the agility of a sexy bobcat.”  Rosdale made it clear that he was happy to be spending his Valentine’s Day weekend with us because he loves Chicago and has a lot of friends here, but really loves his fans the other 364 days of the year as well.  All-in-all, it was definitely worth braving the cold to be warmed up by the hot vocals of Gavin Rossdale and the rest of Bush.  As the youth say, “everything was on fleek!”

Review by Leslie Conte-Russian

Unofficial photos by Abby Walter