February 2000
(Feb. 7) From wallofsound: The leader of the British rock band Bush
says he recited a Jewish prayer during a concert in Austria Friday to show solidarity with fans opposed to the country's new right-wing government.
Against a wall of guitar feedback during the band's encore, Gavin Rossdale sang the Hammotzi, a prayer for the breaking of the bread,
for about 2,000 people attending the Bush show in Graz, he told Reuters Saturday. "I thought that the best way to put it last night —
because I felt that it was just glib and strange to not even mention it — was just to offer condolences for people having to deal with that,"
Rossdale said in a phone interview from Vienna, Austria. Austria's new government, sworn in Friday, includes the far-right Freedom Party of Joerg Haider, who has made statements denigrating immigrants and minimizing Nazi war crimes. The Freedom Party's inclusion in the government has been met with condemnation abroad and violent protests at home. Riots in Vienna Friday night left 56 people injured in the city's worst violence in 10 years. Rossdale, whose father's family consisted of
Jewish émigrés from Russia, said the crowd's reaction to his small gesture of defiance was "really, really powerful, and really excited and passionate. It's taken them a long time to get over Austria's part within the SS and all that stuff, and it's not a part of Austria that most people I've come across at our shows are proud of. It's not the favorite part of their history. There's a sense of serious malcontent." He planned to sing the prayer at Saturday's show but was wary of getting too outspoken on political issues. "I've never entered into politics outside of England because if it's not your country, you're on thin ice," he said.
(Feb. 17) From Bushnet: For the first time since they started touring Bush have been forced to
cancel tonight's show in Norwich and tomorrow in Manchester due to illness. Gavin Rossdale Bush's lead singer was diagnosed by doctors today as
having laryngitis after waking up this morning unable to speak!! Bush apologise to all their fans who were planning to attend this weekends
shows at Norwich UEA and Manchester Academy. The shows have been rescheduled for 7th March (Norwich) and 8th March (Manchester) all tickets will be valid.
(Feb. 23) Two U.S. tour dates have been announced. Bush will play Tampa, FL on March 25th (tickets go on sale this Friday, Feb. 25th) and Asbury Park, NJ on March 30th (tickets go on sale tomorrow, Feb. 24). Moby will be the opening act on both dates. Bush is also scheduled to play the Pinkpop festival in Holland on June 10th.
(Feb. 23) From music365.com: Southampton Guildhall, Monday February 21
2000 : With millions of record sales worldwide, a
supermodel-dating lead singer (he's a good-looking lad, that Gavin Rossdale), and a worshipful fanbase in the US (oh what Oasis would give for that), Bush, after all this time, still
face one immovable obstacle - success back home. An obvious point, admittedly, but one that has to be made. On tonight's evidence, however, this last bastion of defiance looks set to
tumble. The two thousand souls squashed up against the front, bouncing off the walls, hanging off the balcony or just headbanging furiously at the back are testament to one undeniable fact: put quite simply,Bush ROCK. We know this because:
a) It's bloody loud. I SAID, IT IS BLOODY LOUD.
b) Gavin Rossdale is pulling out all the right poses from
the textbook of How To Be A Rock Star And Not Look Like A Total Twat.
c) Drummer Robin Goodridge is a blur of hair, sweat, arms, legs and muscles and is delivering drum patterns written by Satan himself
(possibly).
d) According to a rather overexcited leather-clad female
fan: "They just fucking do, ALL RIGHT?" No one argues. This perhaps has something to do with the fact said fan is waving a wall partition about in the air in an aggressive fashion.
e) The bar is deserted. This is the clincher.
This is a polished performance, one big on heart if lacking in a little soul. Bush say virtually nothing to the audience aside from the usual rock gig platitudes ("ThangyewverymuchgoodniteSouthampton!"). Gavin and the boys are
not circus clowns, for gawds' sake. They are not Slipknot.
Bush just get on with the job and don't mess about. Tonight, the fact that the music seemingly sweeps us all off our feet and leaves our ears ringing is the right riposte to years of critical sniping. So, the verdict is finally in: Bush do, indeed, rock.
Resistance is clearly futile. --Anthony Gibbons
(Feb. 24) Bush is scheduled to play Lloyd Noble Center in Norman, OK on April 7th. Moby will be the opening act.
(Feb. 25) Bush will play HMV in London on March 6.
(Feb. 25) MTV has cancelled the NJ show on the Bush/Moby Campus Invasion Tour.
(Feb. 25) Some more tour dates have been announced. Bush will play on April 24th in Tucson, AZ,
April 25hth in La Jolla, CA, April 26th in Las Vegas, NV, April 28th at a VH1 Charity show, April 29th at Cal State Fresno, and
April 30th at the Santa Barbara Bowl. Thanks Bestminds for the info!
(Feb. 26) All the tour dates for the Campus Invasion Tour have been released. Go to Tour Dates to check them out!
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