A NIGHT OF 90s NOSTALGIA AT FREEDOM HILL

Anybody who says “grunge music is dead” clearly wasn’t in Sterling Heights, Michigan on Friday night. The Freedom HIll Amphitheater hosted a raucous crowd who were there to see 90’s heavy hitters Bush, Jerry Cantrell, and Candlebox.

 

Before the nostalgia could begin, fans got a peek into the present and future of grunge music as BONES UK hit the stage for a six song setlist that got the crowd amped for things to come. Their strongest song of the short set was the homicidal hard rock anthem “Choke.” It was the perfect way to set the table for the rest of the acts to follow. 

 

Next up was Candlebox. While they may be a 90’s “one hit wonder”, anybody who saw them live wasn’t “wondering” how they’ve continued to tour for 30 years. Lead singer Kevin Martin completely controlled the stage from the moment he stepped on it. A true rock star in every sense of the word, his energy and vocals were bigger than ever. As Kevin so eloquently said, “It’s called ‘Rock and Roll.’ Look it up!”

 

The band mostly did songs from their self-titled debut album, including “You” “Cover Me” and the megahit “Far Behind.” They did throw in two other songs, “Stand” from their Into the Sun album, and “Elegante”, an incredibly sexy song from their final album The Long Goodbye. If this is indeed their last tour, it’s clear they plan on going out on top of their game.

 

Jerry Cantrell was next on stage, and based on the reaction of the crowd (and all the t-shirts), it seems about half of the people were there mainly to see him. They were not disappointed as "The Riff Lord” served up a heavy dose of solo work, with just enough Alice in Chains thrown in to create that perfect blend of old and new. 

 

Cantrell also surrounded himself with hard rock legends, as Dillinger Escape Plan frontman Greg Puciato handled vocals on the Alice in Chains songs (“Man in the Box”, “Them Bones”, “Would?” and “Rooster”) and Stone Sour & Ministry drummer Roy Mayorga drove the beats for the set. With all that talent on stage, it’s no wonder so many people showed up for this band.

 

Finally, Bush took the stage. While they did more current music than one might expect for a tour that is supporting a Greatest Hits album, they were smart to pepper in their newer songs in between the massive hits that brought them fame and fortune to begin with. The UK band even gave a shout-out to the biggest British act of all time, when they covered The Beatles’ “Come Together.” 

 

From their opener “Everything Zen” to their closing song “Comedown” and everything in between (“Machinehead”, “Swallowed”, “Glycerine”, “The Chemicals Between Us”), Bush delivered a high energy performance worthy of their headline status. It’s a good thing Freedom Hill is already outdoors, because if there were a roof over the venue, it would have blown off.