Bush Return with I Beat Loneliness at WaMu Theater
A rock and roll triple threat of bands played WaMu Theater in Seattle. The crowd was an eclectic mix of those folks who may have attended Bush when they first released their 1994 hit album, Sixteen Stone, and the kids of those fans.
There was an electric nostalgia in the air as the first opener, James & the Cold Gun, stepped up to get things going. The Welsh rockers hit the crowd with some of their 2025 album, Face in the Mirror. The group has a special connection to our music scene as they are signed to Seattle’s own Stone Gossard’s (of Pearl Jam) own label, Loosegroove. Songs, such as “She Moves”, “Above the Lake”, and their newest release, “Split Second”, felt like a cross between garage rock and nineties punk.
What perhaps was the most endearing part of their show was the obvious affection the lead singer, James Joseph Evans, and the rest of the group, had for the city of Seattle. He expressed it several times while on stage and was overall extremely personable.
Mammoth was second on deck and brought the noise. It is hard to write about this group without bringing a different type of nostalgia to the table. This powerhouse is fronted by none other than Eddie Van Halen’s very capable son, Wolfgang. One the most striking aspect of their show is the unique sound offered up. While he could have used the distinct sound of his father’s cords, Wolfgang has decidedly carved his own path.
Playing songs from their most recent 2025 release, The End, the band plowed through their set with purpose and strength. Wolfgang’s voice and guitar riffs are his alone. Once one really digs into the lyrics, you see the frustration, hurt, anger and pain being unpacked. The most impressive part of this research was learning Wolfgang played all the instruments (on the albums) and wrote all the lyrics to the songs he was performing.
However, he did not completely alienate those of us that longed for the wail of his father’s guitar. Mammoth closed with the title track of their most recent album, “The End”. The opening guitar riffs were a purposeful kick back his dad’s unique cord techniques. I was transported back to 1984 for that minute; however, the song finished as a Wolfgang Van Halen original.
Speaking to several concert goers around me, I asked if they had purchased Bush’s new album, I Beat Loneliness. The consensus was an overwhelming “No.” Fans were here to be transported back into the good old nineties: before handheld computers ruled our lives, AI was listening to everything we said, and Bush’s Sixteen Stone ruled the airwaves.
Bush was here to deliver and there is still no doubt of how much charisma Gavin Rossdale brings to the room. The band bounced on stage, opening with “Everything Zen”. The set design at first gave me a feeling of a cemetery with an uneven and uninviting fence forbidding entry. Once Bush took the stage, the background lighting looked like old amp lights dancing with the beat of the music.
From the minute the group took the stage, the crowd was on their feet and stayed up throughout their show. New song, “The Land of Milk and Honey” was met enthusiastically followed by a bevy of hits such as “Little Things”, “Comedown”, “Glycerine”, and “Machinehead”.
Rossdale and the group moved and sounded as though they had teleported from one of my festivals in 90s. The crowd was dedicated and stayed till the end and, from those I spoke with following the show, the need to be reminded of a simpler time had been accomplished.
Words: Julie Gardner
Photos: Eli Branch
