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Gavin Rossdale explains why Bush came to Tampa for new concert film, album

Gavin Rossdale is stuck like the rest of us. He’s seen Tiger King. He’s getting into Ozark. He takes his dog to the park once a day, practices his guitar and streams the occasional solo set for fans.

But you know where he’d really like to be?

“Australia,” said the singer for ’90s rockers Bush, calling from quarantine in his Los Angeles home. “We’d have been out there just screaming at Aussies going nuts, traveling across Australia for three and a half weeks. So that’s a super-drag.”

Things aren’t all bad in the Bush camp. The grunge veterans will drop a new album, The Kingdom, this summer. (Its original May release date was delayed due to the coronavirus.) And before that, they’re releasing a new concert film and live album called Live in Tampa.

That’s right: Tampa.

The British group filmed its concert last August at the MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre, playing hits like Everything Zen, Comedown and Glycerine for 10,000 sweaty Floridian fans. As backdrops go, it’s not exactly Carnegie Hall or the Ryman. But at a time when the music industry is at a standstill, it’s nice to see live Tampa concert footage of any kind.

Live in Tampa comes out April 24. Beforehand, we talked to Rossdale about why they filmed in Tampa, what he’s been doing in quarantine and where live music goes from here. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

I’ve been thinking about how much we’ve been able to see into celebrities’ homes during all this. You’re a guy whose life has been picked apart in the press over the years. Now that you’re broadcasting from your home, are you comfortable with the boundaries you’re able to put up?

I did one yesterday with a radio station in Chicago, and I did see, behind me, my house looked really nice. There’s nothing worse than that f–king dozy Imagine video — it was so clunky. I am mindful of, you don’t want to seem too opulent in the face of people facing economic hardships. You don’t want to be putting yourself in front of your Modigliani piece. “Here’s my Renoir!” That feels clumsy. I don’t have a Lambo, but would I do a video in front of my Lambo? No.