It was time to celebrate the 90s in Laval, although the city did not go as far as reopening Récréathèque for the occasion. Yes, I’m aware Rival Sons are from the 2010s, but they sound like they’re from the 70s, and math class taught me that averages out to the 90s. Mr. Tsao was right—math did end up being useful.
First up was Filter. At least the sound told me so. I’m not sure if this was technical issues or just a choice, but the back-house spotlights weren’t on and the above-stage lights were shining in front of the band. If you were sitting out front, this made it really hard to see. I could barely read the white-on-black Filter backdrop.
Nonetheless, the sound was excellent. I was very happy to hear non-album tracks “Jurassitol” and “Trip Like I Do,” which were bangers from the Spawn and Crow: City of Angels soundtracks. It was early, but the crowd was full-throated in their efforts to accompany vocalist Richard Patrick on “Take My Picture.” They closed out the set with their ubiquitous rocker “Hey, Man Nice Shot,” and everyone got out of their seats.
Rival Sons came out with the back-of-house lights on—as well as the rock. Vocalist Jay Buchanan evoked their 70s influences with his peachy pink leisure suit. They started high-octane with “Open My Eyes” and did not let go of the gas pedal. The crowd was on their feet and dancing.
It was a fast-paced set that seemed to be over too quickly. There were a lot of Rival Sons T-shirts in the crowd, but still the band only got eight songs, exactly half of which came from their 2014 breakthrough Great Western Valkyrie. If you were looking for more recent stuff, you were out of luck, but I can’t say there was a single lull in the set.
Our main event was 90s icon Bush, supporting Loaded, their greatest hits album. I always appreciate tours that tell you ahead of time, “Yeah, we’re gonna play the hits, don’t worry.”
If you weren’t convinced, Mr. Rossdale and company hit the stage to the song that launched them, “Everything Zen.” Rossdale confirmed that 30 years later he still doesn’t believe Elvis is dead. He mainly ate cheeseburgers and would be 90 now—it’s time to accept that he’s gone, Gavin.
The crowd, particularly the ladies, were on their feet. They certainly weren’t sitting down for “Machinehead,” which followed. As someone who saw Bush play in their 90s prime, I have to say that the current experience is much better. Rossdale has grown leaps and bounds as a live performer. I will also always appreciate watching the man dance on stage. He sometimes looks like Elaine from Seinfeld dancing out there, but he does it with such energy and gusto that it becomes endearing. Again, the ladies certainly aren’t complaining.
After we came out with a bang, things slowed down a bit. Bush isn’t exactly a band that pumped out tonnes of hits during their career. Their success is very front-loaded in the 90s, and some of the newer singles fell a little flat. Still, we had some big shakers like “Greedy Fly” bring some 40-somethings back to high school.
A very tender moment came with the classic “Swallowed,” which was performed a cappella, with the help of a few thousand attendees. The reimagining hit well with the Montrealers. It led into the set closer “Little Things,” which got a semi-mosh going in the seated floor.
There wasn’t much standing on ceremony as the encore started shortly after the main set. The band was hell-bent on sending the crowd home happy, which they achieved with their cover of the Beatles classic “Come Together,” followed by the ultimate sing-along “Glycerine,” which had everyone swaying. Finally, while the crowd’s vocal cords were well warmed, they sent us home with “Comedown,” which ironically signalled the moment to get off the nostalgia cloud we had all been riding and back into the present.
Review – Richard Brunette
Photos – Eric Brisson
Watch our interview with Gavin Rossdale below:
