Halifax has recently been experiencing a surge of nostalgia, with Haligonians eagerly revisiting the memorable mid-90s and early 2000s music we mined for our mixtapes. The Scotiabank Centre has become a regular stop for the artists of that era, having played host to a series of acts that filled the biggest concert venue in town. In recent months, the city has played host to both hip-hop and pop icons such as Snoop Dogg, Nelly, Ja Rule and Avril Lavigne, all of whom come ready with setlists chock full of those massive hits that we have ingrained into our collective psyche. This surge of nostalgia shows no signs of subsiding, as we have acts such as Creed, Nickelback, and Lenny Kravitz on the horizon, further proving that the Haligonian appetite for revisiting the songs of our youth is not yet satiated.
One of the more recent chapters of this journey into 90s nostalgia saw the British alt-rock band Bush bring their Loaded: Greatest Hits 1994-2023 tour to Halifax. On this night, modern rockers Rival Sons brought their powerful blues-rock sound to the stage, which created an interesting juxtaposition of musical styles for concertgoers. Having Rival Sons on this tour helps to bridge the gap between the rock music of the 90s and the more modern hard-rock sound of today.
The lead-up to this show was not without a bit of controversy, as another 90s era rock band, Filter, was scheduled to make the cross-Canada trek, but found themselves double-booked for the final dates of the run and would not be on stage in the Maritimes. This news circulated quickly through social media and other online platforms such as Reddit and Facebook in the days leading up to the concert. There was certainly a degree of disappointment with this revelation, but the focus remained firmly on the scheduled performances of the two remaining bands. As is the case in the world of entertainment, the show must go on.
Ahead of the show, there wasn’t the same buzz that preceded some of the recent shows at Scotiabank Centre; it felt as if the foot traffic was lighter and as a result, the din was far quieter. It felt unusual due to the fact that it’s not that often that a 90s era alt-rock outfit such as Bush lands on a Halifax stage. The crowd did eventually file into the area ahead of the sctintillating set delivered by the Rival Sons.
Founded in Long Beach, California, in the late 2000s, Jay Buchanan (vocals), Scott Holiday (guitar), Michael Miley (drums) and Dave Beste (bass) formed the Rival Sons. The band fused modern rock with a vintage blues-rock sound that echoes Led Zeppelin in their heyday. On this night in Halifax, Buchanan hit the stage barefoot, adorned in an electric dusty-blue suit, flanked by the sharply dressed pair of Beste and Holiday. The charismatic front man worked the stage like a jungle cat stalking its prey. The band ripped up the stage for a scant 7 songs, but each one landed with maximum impact, and included bangers such as “Tied Up”, “Pressure and Time” and “Open My Eyes”.
Towards the end of the band’s set, they broke out “Where I’ve Been”, which was a smouldering number that allowed the band’s musicianship to shine. The track had a massive psychedelic flare, which brought in elements of a Janice Joplin vibe, that made this spectator think that they would be a great act to pair with The Tea Party for that vintage rock flair. It was a set that pleased the established fans and won over the uninitiated folks, setting the bar high for the headliners.
Then it was time for Gavin Rossdale and the crew to hit the stage. The Brit-rockers broke out in the mid-’90s with their debut album Sixteen Stone and followed that effort up with Razorblade Suitcase and The Science of Things in 1999. It was early in the Oughts that the band released Golden State, and the spotlight that had been locked on the band started to fade. The band only released one other album in the first decade of the 2000s. It wasn’t until 2011, with the release of the single “Sound of Winter” that the band re-emerged and recaptured some of that mid-90s magic. It was a definite glimmer, but a proper return to prominence was not to be. That band has released a handful of albums since that 2011 gem, and they have all been solid outings, but it took until the recent ’90s resurgence for the band to hit the road and reintroduce themselves to a new legion of fans.
When it came time for the band to hit the Scotiabank stage, Gavin Rossdale looked remarkably like he did during the peak of the band’s success, and he sounded equally as good. To hear the band ripping into some of their massive hits, such as “Everything Zen” and “Machinehead,” took many of us back to our youth, as these songs were staples of many a mixtape. The band’s setlist for the closing night of the Canadian leg featured a myriad of the band’s best-known tracks (“Glycerine”, “Come Down”, “Swallowed” ) and a couple from the modern Bush playbook (including the aforementioned “Sound of Winter”). I think the biggest surprise came when the nearly 60 year old Rossdale ripped into a cover of The Beatles classic “Come Together” before jumping down from the stage to embark on a tour of the Scotiabank Centre, tearing up and down the steps of the upper and lower bowls, and crossing through rows and rows of seats, all to the enjoyment of the appreciative Halifax crowd.
Bush demonstrated exactly why their music has endured over the past 30+ years, while supporting the current crop of modern rockers by bringing them along on the road. It was a show that filled many a heart and left a legion of folks thirsting after the handsome frontman.
