Gavin Rossdale on the Cover of Rolling Stone April 18 1996

Gavin Rossdale/Bush, No Doubt deliver where the Goo Goo Dolls disappoint

by Anita Raman
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The evening of March 31 began well when No Doubt took the stage as the opening act for the Goo Goo Dolls and post-alternative idols Bush.

No Doubt began their set with "Spiderwebs" and closed with the hit "Just A Girl" from their Tragic Kingdom album. Lead vocalist Gwen Stefani elicited positive crowd reaction with her powerful stage presence and voice. Her performance flowed with energy, which was refreshing in the face of today's teen angst trend.

However, the rest of the band stayed very much in her shadow, making the performance rather one-sided. The band also erred in leaving much of the superior material from their debut self-titled album off their playlist.

The Goo Goo Dolls took the stage next but delivered a disappointing performance. Opening with "Naked," their most recent single, the Dolls showed themselves proficient but played half-heartedly, as if they had thrown together whatever they could find and were only going through the motions. Also included in their set were several tracks from A Boy Named Goo , including "Name," and a few unreleased songs.

The Goo Goo Dolls finished unnotably, making space for the event of the evening, which was, of course, the Bush performance. The cohesiveness of Bush as a musical unit, combined with lead vocalist Gavin Rossdale's magnetic stage presence, turned the mosh floor into sheer insanity. The pop chart-friendly set included almost all of Sixteen Stone with the singles "Everything Zen," "Little Things," "Come Down," "Alien," "Glycerine" and a previously unreleased song titled "Green Fly."

Often criticized as post- alternative freeloaders, Bush does have musical credibility with guitarist Nigel Pulsford, bassist Dave Parsons, drummer Robin Goodradge and vocalist Rossdale.

Like No Doubt's set, Bush's performance depended on the stage presence of the lead vocalist. Unlike Stefani, Rossdale focused his considerable energies into becoming the ultimate angst-ridden icon. His ability to work the crowd is amazing.

Overall, the concert was worthwhile. However, it would have been better if the Goo Goo Dolls had actually cared about what they were doing on the stage. At least the performances by No Doubt and Bush made up for their shortcomings.



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This item appeared in the Arts & Entertainment section of the April 12, 1996 issue.

Bush Frontman Gavin Rossdale