Bush brings the final show of the 25th Anniversary of Sixteen Stone to Las Vegas with support from CYGZ, The Jacks and Stabbing Westward.
Sixteen Stone is arguably one of the most memorable albums of the nineties so it is no surprise to see the near-capacity crowd here for the final show of this anniversary tour. Before we get to that performance, there are three bands set to warm up the crowd. Up first is CYGZ, Alec “CYGZ” Cyganowski is a singer and poet originally from Chicago but now based in Los Angeles. His performance focuses on a strong melodic vocal which keeps the crowd’s attention. His set it short but it does a great job introducing this crowd to this new performer.
Up next is The Jacks also from Los Angeles. This foursome is a straight-up rock band with a bit of a vintage sound. It is easy to see their influences from the seventies rock stars like the Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin. While you can hear these bands’ influence in their music, they do not come off as copycat in any way. They have their own unique sound. Some in the crowd are already familiar with their music and are dancing and singing along but after this set, more are definitely going to remember them. This is how a lesser-known band should handle a spot on a tour like this. Their set highlights quickly exactly who they are and presents their best image gaining them new fans in the process. Long time industrial rock band Stabbing Westward is next. Vocalist Christopher Hall takes the stage and is immediately up close to the crowd. This continues throughout the set with Hall at one point getting right down on the barrier with the fans. Guitarist Carlton Bost, who is familiar to many in the crowd due to his recent work with Orgy, moves around the stage and contorts himself during his performance which adds to the feel of the industrial music. The mood of the music is heightened by both their stage presence and the dark and moody lighting. The overall feeling is exactly what you expect from this band. The crowd is very familiar with their music and the set tonight is one of their best recently leaving the crowd wishing for a few more songs. It is now time for Bush. It is always surprising the minimal stage set up that this band has and tonight is no different, just one video screen in the back. The set starts with drummer Nik Hughes in silhouette in front of this screen. After a few hits on the drums, the rest of the band takes the stage and launch into their set with force beginning with “Machine Head” and “This is War.” Frontman Gavin Rossdale is explosive and commands the attention of the crowd. When you see this performance you realize they do not need anything more than the video screen, it is the band’s performance that mesmerizes. Rossdale is much more animated tonight than the last time they played Las Vegas and the crowd is loving it, singing along to every note. The set continues with other songs like “The Chemicals Between Us,” “Everything Zen” and “Little Things.”Rossdale’s energy doesn’t slow down. He is on the drum riser, leaping in the air and reaching out to the crowd. At one point he leaves the stage to go through the crowd and up to the second level where the seats are. The fans are loving this and the band is clearly enjoying this last stop of this tour. He takes time to speak to the crowd at various points about this album and this tour before winding down the set with his signature solo version of “Glycerine” and an extended version of “Come Down.” There is no encore but this performance does not require one.
Four bands and the performances just keep getting better as each one goes on before the night is closed out with one of the best performances by Bush in a long time in Las Vegas. Performances like this remind the fans not only why we love certain bands and albums but also why we love concerts in general.
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