Bush with Jerry Cantrell & Candlebox
Jacobs Pavillion
Cleveland, OH
August 12, 2024
It was as if it was the early to mid 90’s all over again on Tuesday, August 12 in Cleveland. The four artist bill had three acts that topped the chart in the grunge and post-grunge eras. Headlining Jacobs Pavillion (known to any native Clevelander as ‘Nautica’) was Bush. Supporting Gavin Rossdale and his band were Jerry Cantrell, Candlebox and Tim Montana.
Opening the show was Montana native, Tim Montana. The four piece primed the audience by introducing Cleland to their unique rock sounds.
Candlebox took the stage second, although most in the crowd could argue they should have had a longer set. Kevin Martin and the band temporarily stepped out of “retirement” to join their fellow ‘brothers’ on this tour. The band opened up with Arrow, a crowd favorite from their 1993 self-titled debut. While the set was only forty-five minutes, the crowd was transported to 1993 by the majority of their set with songs such as “Blossom” and “Cover Me” in addition to their two hit singles.
Fans were treated to “Happy Pills”, a well loved song among fans that had been less present in setlists of the past years. The newest song of the set, “What Do You Need,” featured Nick Brown of the Nashville band, MONA. Brown, a Dayton Ohio native, joined Martin on the stage in this high energy rock duet.
The band finished their set with crowd favorites “Far Behind” and “You.” While the set was shorter than what the band usually performed, it left the crowd wanting more, with many fans calling out for more at the concluding notes.
Following Candlebox, Jerry Cantrell and his band took the stage. The former Alice in Chains singer brought Cleveland back to the time of grunge. While he performed the majority of post Alice in Chains music, including Psychotic Break and “Vilified,” the band did perform some of the most iconic Alice in Chains music including Man in the Box, Them Bones, and Rooster.
Gavin Rossdale and his bandmates commenced their set with the high energy favorites and singles, Everything Zen and Machine Head. It was quite evident by Gavin’s voice, the cohesiveness of the band’s sound and the energy all members put into their performance, that the best is not behind them, and many would successfully argue, the band is currently in their prime. The post grunge band played a ninety-minute set including all their major singles and spanning six different albums including their 1994 debut Sixteen Stone.
One of the highlights of the night was “The Sound of Winter,” which resonated deeply with long-time fans. The performance was a testament to Bush’s ability to evolve while staying true to their roots.
While the show was almost sold out with very little room to move, Gavin did take time to connect with fans not only in the front rows, but those in the stands by singing Flowers on a Grave. As the rest of the band played from stage, Gavin took his wireless mic and spent the majority of the song performing at the top of the bleachers of the amphitheater, before making his way through the crowd and back up to the stage to conclude the regular set with the iconic “Little Things.”
Fans were not ready to leave and neither was Bush. Quickly after ending their set, the boys took the stage again and played a four song encore including a cover of the Beatles “Come Together.” Glycerine was performed by Gavin, in a haunting beautiful solo performance. The nightcap and final song “Comedown” was overpowered by the crowd singing at some points louder than the speakers, suggesting most of the Millennial and Gen X’ers in the crowd were not ready to ‘come back down from this cloud’ of a musical experience.
Bush Gallery
Jerry Cantrell Gallery
Candlebox Gallery
Words by Tracy Tedrow-Pinter
Photos by Steffi Wegewitz // Concert Scene Photography
