Gwen Stefani’s son plays Zach Bryan in Blake Shelton’s bar in Oklahoma
Zuma Rossdale, 15, the middle of Gwen Stefani and Gavin Rossdale’s three sons, shares a love of country music with his stepfather Blake Shelton.
Gavin Rossdale has fans who have been on board since Bush’s first appearance three decades ago.
But it was a young fan, perhaps 11 or 12 years old, who made the biggest impression on the singer when the band’s Greatest Hits tour kicked off this summer.
“Oh my God, I was running through the crowd and this little girl was bawling her eyes out and singing along, her parents were right there,” he said. “That was the highlight of the tour in that moment, the young girl of 11 or 12 just getting lost in the music. It was during ‘Flowers (On A Grave).’ She knew all the words. I thanked her. I usually walk through and stop here and there, but she made me stop and just give her the moment.”
The Greatest Hits tour stops at the PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel on Wednesday, August 21. Bush will be joined by BONES UK and Jerry Cantrell of Alice in Chains.
Bush recently released “Loaded: The Greatest Hits 1994-2023,” a compilation of the band’s biggest hits, a new song, “Nowhere To Go But Everywhere,” and a cover of the Beatles’ “Come Together.”
The feeling of the performance was indescribable, said Rossdale.
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“The alchemy of music and people is just infinite, so incredible,” he added.
Looking back at the band’s history and catalog while preparing for the album and touring led to some self-reflection for Rossdale and the band, which also includes lead guitarist Chris Traynor, bassist Corey Britz and drummer Nik Hughes.
“It’s impossible not to look at it with insane gratitude,” said Rossdale, who is lead singer and rhythm guitarist. “It sounds so simple or so obvious or so cliche, but if you weren’t grateful for this life, what would motivate you in life? I decided to do these kinds of crafts, sing and make music, travel around with my friends and start a band, and here we are.”
The continued love and support for his music and the band motivates him.
“Everything stays alive by simply having the desire to be the best you can be at all times,” he said, adding that the songs in his repertoire are not easy.
“When I sing it, I have to be fully engaged,” he said. “You see those incredible skateboarders and the guys on the street skating, and how they bend over and prepare for a jump that they’re about to do and knock us off our feet? That requires total engagement. That’s the only way I can put on a show.”
“I just want them to be so overwhelmed and excited, that’s what it’s all about,” he continued. “That’s why we go to music events. It’s a shared experience. I mean, the world is so messed up and stressful. People are arguing at home, fighting, madness everywhere. When you think about it, it can really get you down. So it’s an incredible thing when music can shake people up.”
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Rossdale said touring with Cantwell is a full-circle moment for him, as he considers Alice in Chains’ “Man in a Box” a “torch-bearing” song in a movement that has inspired him as an artist. The band opened for Alice in Chains a few summers ago, which he called “long overdue and really fun and really satisfying.”
New Bush album
Is new music in sight for Bush?
“One full record is done,” Rossdale said. “That inevitably means I’ll probably have a couple of songs done by the end of the tour, but I’ve got 11 songs done and they need to be mixed. So that’s super exciting.”
Go: Bush, Loaded: The Greatest Hits Tour, with Jerry Cantrell and BONES UK; Wednesday, August 21, 6:30 p.m.; PNC Bank Arts Center, Exit 116, Garden Stage Parkway, Holmdel; $28-$208 (including VIP Club); concerts.livenation.com.
