Rossdale and Co.: A Few Golden Moments

Gavin Rossdale knows what to do on stage. At the Universal Amphitheater on Wednesday, the Bush frontman slashed eagerly at his guitar, hopped and kicked at all the right moments and pointed to his audience while yelling, “Los Angeles!” a lot. The man even writes the occasional catchy rock single, enough for an equal handful of epic rock moments.

Those moments didn’t come nearly often enough during Bush’s 100-minute concert, supporting the band’s newest album, “Golden State.” At its best, when all the studied elements came together, Bush was truly worthwhile, but the long periods between hits frequently fell flat.

Most often derided in its heyday as a grunge rip-off, Bush is actually more of a chameleon, as likely to write a song aping the Cure as Nirvana. That’s worked for the British quartet whenever the band’s chaotic hard-rock and pop hooks coalesced into radio-ready singles, which happened frequently enough to make Bush among the most successful bands of the ‘90s.

When Rossdale stepped out during the encore to begin the slow, dramatic strumming that opens the hit “Glycerine,” accompanied only by somber waves of organ, it made for a perfectly paced, satisfying rock star moment. And yet those peaks were balanced by surprising missteps, such as Rossdale’s performance of the new ballad “Inflatable,” which somehow degenerated into off-key moaning.

More satisfying was a wound-up version of the Cars’ “Just What I Needed,” which brought the show to an energetic peak. As always, a catchy song was Bush’s best defense.