From the start, you could tell this wasn’t going to be a casual background-noise kind of show. You could sense it walking along The Wharf to The Anthem in Washington DC.
People were there early, staking out spots along the rail, leaning on merch counters, scanning the stage like they might catch a clue about how the night would unfold. After all, legendary hard rockers Bush were in town to play their biggest solo DC headlining date ever.
At The Anthem on April 9, James and The Cold Gun kicked things off, and if you weren’t familiar with them going in, it didn’t take long to get the idea.
James and The Cold Gun are an alternative rock band from Cardiff, Wales, UK. They play heavy, riff-based alternative rock with influences from punk, grunge, and 1990s rock. They released their self-titled debut album in 2023 and the follow-up Face In The Mirror in 2025. Early crowds can be tough, people are still filing in, still deciding how much attention to give. But James and The Cold Gun pushed through that fog pretty quickly.
The group got things moving with “Split Second,” and they came out like a band that understood the assignment; grab attention fast or get swallowed by the room. The Anthem can do that. It’s big enough to expose hesitation, but they didn’t hesitate.
“Twist the Knife” followed with a little more bite, guitars cutting through, vocals riding just above that edge where melody starts to fray. Raw, a little jagged, in a good way, their set had that scrappy confidence, carrying just enough grit to keep things from feeling too clean.
“Fragile” and “Above the Lake” added a bit more texture without losing momentum. By the time they hit “Guessing Games” and “Cut the Brakes,” the crowd had shifted from polite interest to actual engagement.
Watch the official music video for “Above the Lake” by James and The Cold Gun on YouTube:
“Chewing Glass” closed their set with that same restless energy they started with, like they didn’t quite want to leave the stage. Fair enough.
Setlist
1. Split Second
2. Twist the Knife
3. Fragile
4. Above the Lake
5. Guessing Games
6. Cut the Brakes
7. Chewing Glass
Then Wolfgang Van Halen and Mammoth stepped onstage, and the tone changed almost immediately. Their sound was fuller, more layered, the kind of modern hard rock that fills a room.
There’s always a bit of curiosity around Mammoth, but once the first song hits, that curiosity turns into attention pretty quickly. Wolfgang Van Halen doesn’t lean on legacy the way people might expect. He just plays. And the band behind him matches that energy, focused, dialed in, no wasted movement.
“One of a Kind” opened with that thick, layered guitar sound Mammoth thrives on — dense without feeling crowded.
Watch the official music video for “One of a Kind” by Mammoth on YouTube:
Wolfgang doesn’t waste movement on stage. He plays, and that focus pulls your attention whether you planned on giving it or not. There’s a confidence there that doesn’t need to announce itself.
“Another Celebration at the End of the World” and “The Spell” built on that foundation, inside heavier arrangements instead of sitting on top like neon signs.
“Epiphany” and “Happy” kept the set moving, but it was “Distance” that shifted the room; not just because people know the backstory, but because the performance held up. Vocally, instrumentally, it all connected.
There’s something interesting about watching a band like Mammoth in the middle act slot. They’re not quite the opener in spirit, not quite the headliner in billing. Their set had a different density to it. Heavier in tone, more layered, but still accessible.
Wolf carried himself with a kind of quiet focus. No over-the-top theatrics, no need for it. He let the songs do the work. Finally “Don’t Back Down” snapped things back into motion, and “The End” wrapped it all with a kind of controlled intensity that left the room tighter than they found it.
Setlist
1. One of a Kind
2. Another Celebration at the End of the World
3. The Spell
4. Epiphany
5. Happy
6. Distance
7. Don’t Back Down
8. The End
The break before the headliner’s set stretched just long enough to let the tension build. Lights dimmed, while stagehands cleared the last of the previous bands gear. By the time the stage reset, the energy had settled into something heavier. Anticipation.
When Bush walked out, there was no dramatic intro, no extended buildup. Opening with “Machinehead,” with those guitars and drums hitting with that familiar weight, the band quickly had the crowd’s focus locked in.
“Prizefighter” and “More Than Machines” followed, and Gavin moved across the stage with that loose, controlled energy he’s had for years, never frantic, never static. “Warm Machine” and “Quicksand” kept the pace steady, guitars layered with that slightly gritty sound Bush has always leaned into.
“Greedy Fly” brought a bit of that off-center groove, and “Scars” and “We’re All the Same on the Inside” added a more reflective tone without dragging the energy down.
Rossdale moved like someone who’s done this a thousand times but still finds something new in it. There’s a looseness to his stage presence, it’s controlled, but not rigid. He knows when to let the crowd carry a moment.
“The Sound of Winter” felt expansive in that room, filling the Anthem. Then “May Your Love Be Pure” slipped in almost quietly, a brief reset before the next climb.
“Everything Zen” snapped the crowd right back. The band behind Rossdale stayed locked in, Chris Traynor’s guitar carrying that grunge-era texture without sounding dated, and the rhythm section of drummer Nik Hughes and bassist Corey Britz, holding everything steady without overplaying.
Watch the official music video for “Everything Zen” by Bush on YouTube:
“Glycerine” changed the air completely. Stripped down, exposed, no place to hide. Rossdale held it steady, letting the room carry parts of it without losing control. It’s one of those moments that doesn’t need embellishment. It just needs space.
At one point, Gavin stepped down into the crowd, no big announcement, just gone from the stage and suddenly in the middle of it. He moved through the crowd to the back of the room, then sprinted up the stairs to the upper levels, fans cheering and slapping his back the whole way. Then he was circling through the box seats and heading back down to the stage.
“I Beat Loneliness” and “Float” brought things back up gradually, rebuilding the momentum piece by piece. Then “Flowers on a Grave” pushed it further, heavier, more driving. “Little Things” closed the main set with a kind of punch that felt both nostalgic and immediate, like the past and present decided to share the same riff.
The encore didn’t waste time. “The Land of Milk and Honey” came in with intent, followed by “Swallowed,” which landed softer but no less impactful.
“Comedown” closed the evening out. It’s a slow burn of a song, and live, it stretches just enough to let everything settle into place without actually slowing down.
Watch the official music video for “Comedown” by Bush on YouTube:
The Anthem carried it all well. The sound stayed clear, even at full tilt. Nothing got swallowed. Vocals sat where they needed to, guitars had bite without turning harsh, drums hit with enough force to be felt without overwhelming everything else.
Plus, there’s a physicality to a Bush set that doesn’t always come across on record. The way the songs build, plateau, then push a little further. It’s not about speed or flash. It’s about weight, about letting a riff sit long enough to mean something before moving on.
Setlist
1. Machinehead
2. Prizefighter
3. More Than Machines
4. Warm Machine
5. Quicksand
6. Greedy Fly
7. Scars
8. We’re All the Same on the Inside
9. The Sound of Winter
10. May Your Love Be Pure
11. Everything Zen
12. Glycerine
13. I Beat Loneliness
14. Float
15. Flowers on a Grave
16. Little Things
Encore
17. The Land of Milk and Honey
18. Swallowed
19. Comedown
Here are some photos of Bush performing live at The Anthem on April 9, 2026. All pictures copyright and courtesy of Michael Sprouse/ Odd Rocker Photography.
Here are some photos of Mammoth opening Bush at The Anthem on April 9, 2026. All pictures copyright and courtesy of Michael Sprouse/ Odd Rocker Photography.
Here are some photos of James and The Cold Gun opening Bush at The Anthem on April 9, 2026. All pictures copyright and courtesy of Michael Sprouse/ Odd Rocker Photography.
