On Saturday night, teens through 30-somethings packed into the Blue Cross Arena to hear the always astounding rock band from Calabasas, Calif. Opening with the most intense track off of their most recent album, “A Crow Left of the Murder,” Incubus blazed onto the stage in front of an arena filled with awe-inspired fans.
The set mostly consisted of the band’s singles from the their previous releases, “Morning View” and “S.C.I.E.N.C.E.” Less than half of the two-hour set consisted of tracks off of their new album, but this didn’t seem to displease the audience who sang enthusiastically to every single song.
After “Pistola,” lead singer Brendan Boyd quietly thanked the audience for coming to the show. This calmness was quickly replaced by the energy that the band seemed to be feeding off of the audience. Boyd enthusiastically sang and danced to such favorites as “Drive,” “Stellar” and “Circles.” During the song “I Wish You Were Here,” both the audience and the band acted out the lyrics of the song. During the lyrics “I’m counting UFOs / I signal them with my light,” audience members held their lighters in the air. When the band sang “The world’s a roller coaster / And I am not strapped in / Maybe I should hold with care / But my hands are busy in the air,” everyone in the audience put their arms up in the air. To further this theme of acting out the lyrics to the song, the back of the stage was a backlit canopy with holes punched in it.
One of the most exciting parts of the evening was a drum solo performed during “Vitamin.” The solo was performed by Boyd, bassist Ben Kenney and drummer Jose Pasillas. Kenney brought a small drum set on stage, while Boyd performed on a set of congas and a djembe. The three played energetically for over 10 minutes.Towards the end of their set, the band played more music from “A Crow Left of the Murder.” Surprisingly, these songs seemed to be more popular with the audience than their singles. The show ended with a passionate performance of the album’s title track.
With his fervor, showmanship and good looks, lead singer Boyd retains his place as the band’s centerpiece, but guitarist Mike Einziger and drummer Pasillas are the glue that holds the machine together – their musical talent was highlighted through several solos throughout the night. Incubus’ ability to mix the harmonious and melodic with the dark and experimental has distinguished them as a band that is heads and shoulders above other contemporary rock bands. In both their live and recorded music they have proved that they are a creative, passionate and talented band.
Gorode can be reached at kgorode@campustimes.org.
