After quietly slipping into Tampa for a few days of rehearsal, British alternative rockers Bush took the stage at the Ritz Ybor on Friday night, showing no signs of a nine-year hiatus.

Front man Gavin Rossdale wasted little time turning up the heat on the first night of their tour, kicking off the set with audience favorites “Machinehead” and “Little Things," both from the band’s 1994 release Sixteen Stone.

The reaction from the crowd was immediate and loud, which seemed well received from a sweat-soaked Rossdale. Apparently, profuse sweating helps the band’s performance. According to the Ritz staff, Bush had insisted on a particular stage temperature at show time, which required the venue to turn off the building’s A/C. The result was an extremely warm room and lots of sweaty fans squeezed together. Kudos should be given to the alert Ritz staff, which mingled among the crowd, passing out cold bottles of water to overheated fans.

(pics by Tracy May)

more after the jump

This article appears in Oct 14-20, 2010.