In a crowded field of 1990s alt-rock bands, Bush is one of the more memorable ones. The British rockers stormed onto American shores in the mid-’90s, bringing hits “Glycerine” and “Comedown” to radio stations and car tape decks across the nation. Gavin Rossdale’s gravelly voice, their catchy post-grunge sound and a lot of good hooks launched their lasting stardom.
Now, Rossdale is the only original member left in the band. Nonetheless, they released their 10th studio album, “I Beat Loneliness,” last summer and kicked off their 2026 headlining tour Tuesday night at the UPMC Events Center in Moon.
Supporting Bush in this set of shows are Welsh band James and the Cold Gun and Mammoth, which is fronted by Wolfgang Van Halen (son of Eddie Van Halen). More on them later.
The great thing about Bush’s set was how spread-out the radio hit songs were. For example, they came out to the instantly recognizable opening riff to “Machinehead,” and most of the audience sang along with the opening refrain of “breathe in, breathe out.”
“It’s the first night of this tour, let’s have some fun!” Rossdale yelled to the crowd after singing “Testosterone” next.
Considering the heavier tone of their music — and the gruffness in his voice — one might expect Gavin Rossdale to be a surly fellow. He is not. Delightful and gracious, he joyously bopped, headbanged and danced around the stage. His voice isn’t quite what it used to be; some cracks are definitely starting to show, and there were times that he didn’t even try to sing the songs the way he used to. But after warming into the set, he had a little more vocal elasticity on the tour’s namesake song, “The Land of Milk and Honey.”
The hits were the highlights in this show. “The Chemicals Between Us” crackled with energy and its infectious bassline. “Everything Zen,” one of the band’s earliest singles, was the biggest hit of the night with the audience. And Rossdale got all the cellphone flashlights winking on for his mostly solo performance of “Swallowed,” a slower song that fits the now-enhanced growl of his voice.
But there were some lesser-known and newer standouts. “Heavy is the Ocean” from the 2022 album “The Art of Survival” had the band swimming across the stage under blue lights, with a chorus that crashed like a tsunami and receded back into quieter verses. The title track from their newest album, “I Beat Loneliness,” felt tightly controlled musically but emotionally vulnerable. And Rossdale wandered through an excited crowd as the band played an extended “Flowers on a Grave,” pulling out all the stops as he climbed back toward the stage.
The band’s three-song encore included the recent tune “More Than Machines,” the third song on the setlist to include the word “machine” in its title. This song is definitely a new favorite. Rossdale stayed on solo to play electric guitar to the band’s perhaps definitive hit “Glycerine,” infusing so much emotion into the spare arrangement and effectively singing the second verse a cappella.
To top off the set, the whole band rejoined for early career banger “Comedown,” a perfect closer that left the fans with just enough adrenaline for the drive home. Rossdale let the crowd sing one of the final choruses before Nik Hughes’ drums slammed back in to build the song up to its finale.
Rossdale expressed nothing but gratitude for the entire night. Before closing it out, he praised the crowd for their energy. “I feel it so hard, I love it, it’s like oxygen for me. I can’t thank you enough.”
To launch the evening, James and the Cold Gun played an exuberant set of tuneful hard rock with hard-hitting drums and theatrical vocals, especially fun on their song “Twist the Knife.”
Mammoth brought the most memorable performance of the evening, with a genial and excited Van Halen fronting the band. Their firecracker opener, “One of a Kind,” was a perfect introduction for anyone not familiar with their music.
“We’re a band called Mammoth, and we like to play loud music, so we’re going to keep doing that,” Van Halen said as he greeted the screaming crowd.
While their erupting guitar solos and constantly shifting songs were all captivating, the quieter tune “The Distance” was a highlight. For the first part of the song, Van Halen strummed and sang alone, bringing the band back in for a cathartic, rocking finish.
Mammoth fittingly ended their evening with “The End.”