This past Tuesday, November 14, Orlando was graced with some ’90s post-grunge perfection when Bush lead the charge through the Hard Rock Live for the very first date of their current Nowhere to Go But Everywhere tour, complete with support from Bad Wolves and Eva Under Fire in tow.
Just days prior, Rewind It had visited the Hard Rock for Bullet For My Valentine’s show the previous Friday (an admirable concert in its own right). But having been a teenager/high school student in the decade Bush had originally emerged from meant that there was much more nostalgia going into it for me than said last show. The only other difference this time around was I had my wife Brooke acting as photographer rather than my son, Jacob.
I had looked up Eva Under Fire prior to going into things as well, who seemed decent enough at a quick glance. Commanding frontwoman Eva Marie (whose voice reminded me of a cross between Heart’s Ann Wilson, and Lizzy Hale of Halestorm) gave it her all on songs like “Comatose,” “Heroin(e),” “Devil in Disguise,” “Coming for Blood,” a cover of Journey’s “Separate Ways (Worlds Apart),” “Unstoppable/Queen’s “We Will Rock You,” and “Blow.” A chance meeting with Marie shortly after their set was the icing on the cake.
Rewind It’s Brooke Striewski (right) and Eva Under Fire singer Eva Marie after the show on Tuesday night.
On the other hand, Bad Wolves are a band truly worthy of having the title “bad” in their name. Now, I understand there’s been some drama within the ranks of this band after former lead singer Tommy Vext was ousted over “creative differences” (a nice way of saying he likely didn’t confirm to the rest of their beliefs) a couple of years back. But sans their 2018 single “Remember When” (a track they of course did not perform), I really can’t say I was a fan of much of their material to begin with, so I truly have no investment with one side or the other either way (but in comparison, I think I would’ve much rather had seen Bad Wolves when Vext was still at the helm of the mic, as their current frontman, Daniel “DL” Laskiewicz, simply did not come off as very “likeable”).
I truly tried to get into their set (which was introduced by WJRR DJ Mel Taylor) as they went through titles like “If Tomorrow Never Comes,” “Killing me Slowly,” “Savior,” “Sober,” and “Lifeline,” but couldn’t help thinking all I was hearing was the most generic of mainstream rock available. Even their closer, a decent (yet still very odd choice, in my opinion) cover of The Cranberries’ 1994 hit “Zombie,” only elicited a mild reaction in my book.
Finally, the main even everyone had come to see, Bush, hit the stage just after 9pm. Opening with a one-two punch of numbers from their 1994 debut Sixteen Stone in the form of “Everything Zen” and “Machinehead,” the band instantly had the crowd in their grasp.
Songs like “Bullet Holes,” “The Chemicals Between Us” (where I can honestly say my wife and I lovingly held hands the entire time throughout), “The People That We Love,” “Quicksand,” “Swallowed,” “Nowhere to Go But Everywhere,” and “Heavy is the Ocean” all followed before lead singer Gavin Rossdale sprinted off into the crowd during “Flowers On a Grave,” running to the top of the balcony to finish off the song before ultimately heading back to the stage all in due time.
“All Thing Must Change” and “Little Things” followed before the band took a brief reprieve prior to their encore, which consisted of “More Than Machines,” “Glycerine” (with Rossdale performing solo with just his guitar), and finally, “Comedown.” I doubt that even the most casual of Bush fans (and grunge, for that matter) could find one single complaint with the band’s set last Tuesday night at the Hard Rock; I know I certainly couldn’t if I tried.
Bush frontman Gavin Rossdale going from balcony to stage during one of the most exciting moments of Tuesday night’s show at the Hard Rock Live Orlando.
