On August 26, Kate Bush had her first performance on her 22-date run in London, and her first live performance since 1979.
The performance took place at Hammersmith Apollo, which just happens to be the last venue Bush performed at live on her 1979 tour as reported by Billboard. Now Bush will be performing at the London based venue for 22 shows, a musical event known as Before the Dawn that will run from late August into September.
Bush was signed when she was 16 by EMI and immediately had success with her first single, “Wuthering Heights.” The single was rated number 32 in Q magazine’s list of Top 100 Singles of All Time according to Bush’s website. Since then Bush has had a long career according to the New York Times, going at her own pace to create albums beloved by fans while still focusing on other things such as parenthood. Now, at 56, Bush is returning for another set of live show performances.
Despite the lack of chances to see Bush live, the musician clearly has a huge fan base. In fact, TheCelebrityCafe.com reports that the tickets for Bush’s Before the Dawn shows sold out in 15 minutes. Reviews that have come out about Bush’s performance on Before the Dawn's first performance date emphasize how successful her comeback show was, with Billboard’s Richard Smirke writing, “Nearly ten minutes after Bush and her band had departed the stage, the audience was still on its feet in noisy appreciation.”