Bush Rocks the Meridian Centre in St. Catharines with a Night of Their Greatest Hits [Photos]

Bush has been extensively touring after the release of their greatest hits compilation, Loaded: The Greatest Hits, in November 2023. They’ve been going across America and Canada for the past couple of years, taking stops in Hamilton in 2023 and Toronto in 2024.

In 2025, they announced the “Bush World Tour,” an extensive tour that will run between March 2025 and October for a number of tours, including their “Greatest Hits Canadian Tour.” I was able to experience this show on night nine of the tour in St. Catharines at the Meridian Centre, which celebrates its tenth anniversary in 2025!

The night started off with Filter. They were the opener for Jerry Cantrell’s “I See Blood Tour” (see our coverage of that tour here). This tour ended on March 9th, less than two months before they were on the road again with Bush.

Filter always rocks the crowd, whether in a theatre or an arena. The biggest highlights for the crowd were their 1999 song “Take A Picture and 1995’s “Hey Man Nice Shot.”

After Filter gave the crowd a mix of industrial and pop rock, it was time for Rival Sons to hit the stage. A band I have seen when they opened for the Smashing Pumpkins during their 2023 tour.

Rival Sons always bring their A-game, delivering a powerful and electric set of blues rock. When you watch the Rival Sons, it doesn’t feel like you’re watching a modern-day rock show, and that’s what I love about them.

From the powerful vocal abilities of lead singer Jay Buchanan, who can belt like it’s nobody’s business, to the guitarist who delivered long and electric solos that took the crowd right back to the 1970s. Not to forget the bassist and drummer, who are always keeping the rhythm and keeping the band tight.

After Rival Sons, the crowd was eager and ready. Fans in the front row were preparing to cry, and not too long after, Bush hit the stage.

Bush has always taken an interesting approach to how they start their shows. Instead of preparing for the encore to play big hits, they kicked off the show with “Everything Zen” and “Machinehead,” two of their biggest hits from their 1994 debut album Sixteen Stone.

These songs get people off their feet and ready from the start of the set, especially when they lead into “All Things Must Change,” where Gavin Rossdale reaches into the front row of the crowd.

Song eight was a new one. Titled “60 Ways To Forget People,” it will be featured on their new album I Beat Loneliness, which will be released in July. It’s a heavy-hitting song, with guitar work so powerful you wouldn’t expect there to be only one, giving fans a look into the new album.

Rossdale plays two songs solo during the set. First, he plays “Swallowed” by himself on the stage, just vocals with the crowd singing along. Then, much later in the show, he played a solo acoustic version of “Glycerine,” one of the songs that helped define Bush in the 1990s.

Song eleven is always a big one for fans who have been to Bush before. During “Flowers On A Grave,” Rossdale decides to run through the crowd, doling out high-fives, handshakes, and hugs. The love for Bush was strong, and Rossdale could only make it halfway around the arena before the song finished, showing how much the city loves Bush.

The encore for Bush is something everybody needs to see at least once in their life. They start it off with “More Than Machines” before moving to a cover of “Come Together” by The Beatles, getting the crowd ready to sing before Rossdale takes the stage solo to sing Glycerine. They make sure the crowd leaves with high energy, closing the night off with “Comedown.” A personal favourite of mine, and a song that had everyone cheering as the opening bassline began.

Bush might be halfway through their Canadian tour, but they are far from done touring in 2025. There’s lots more to come from a band that shows no intention of slowing down.

Bush (w/ Rival Sons) @ Meridian Centre (St. Catharines, ON) on May 4th, 2025

30 photos