As good as Incubus was Sunday at City Market, the weather was even better. The combination of an expert rock band and the unseasonably mild temperature provided an ideal summer evening for an audience of approximately 8,000.
Like a more robust 311, a smoother Linkin Park or a tasteful version of Red Hot Chili Peppers, Incubus' virtuosic versatility serves them well. The approach makes their concerts perfect date nights for 20-somethings. Accordingly, the festive audience was dominated by attractive young couples clad in summer attire.
Incubus isn't above trading off looks either. Vocalist Brandon Boyd is a striking front man. A significant portion of the audience was undoubtedly delighted when he shed his shirt during his band's 100-minute performance.
Established in the early '90s, the California-based band has issued seven studio albums. Although its catalog is extensive, the band wisely opted to stick to its most familiar material Sunday. The opening notes to almost every song were greeted with a rapturous reception by the cheerful audience. Among the most popular offerings were a furious reading of "Megalomaniac," a muscular take on "Pardon Me," the emotional ballad "Love Hurts" and a tender version of "Dig."
Those songs were memorable and Boyd's strong vocals were effective. What really makes Incubus distinctive, however, is their unique sense of groove. Bassist Ben Kenney, DJ Chris Kilmore and drummer Jose Pasillas form a rhythmic powerhouse. They were particularly spectacular on "Wish You Were Here." A no-nonsense cover of Prince's "Let's Go Crazy" served to further emphasize their status as a world-class rhythm section.
The evening's only weak moments came during the encore. A bit of self-indulgent jamming succeeded in proving that Incubus can also sound like a caffeinated version of the Grateful Dead.
In spite of Incubus' robust effort, the night functioned as an outsized cocktail party for many. A couple thousand people only stopped gabbing to sing along to the hootenanny-style version of "Drive." That's alright; City Market is big enough to accommodate fans of all persuasions.
Even so, it's a shame that many chose to ignore opening band the Duke Spirit. They're an old-fashioned British rock band designed to buckle the knees of Anglophiles infatuated with the gigantic hooks and oversized melodies of acts like Oasis. The over-the-top stage presence of vocalist Liela Moss was entirely appropriate for the remarkably glorious evening at City Market.
| Bill Brownlee, Special to The Star
"They deliver enough crunch to satisfy fans of punk and metal."
ehhhhhhh...
Their older stuff, like "Pardon Me" is pretty catchy. Too bad I wasn't there.
But I was in Omaha seeing Cannibal Corpse. :D
Posted by: mankvill | July 21, 2009 at 12:43 AM
Sorry...one of the most overrated bands ever.
Posted by: pete | July 21, 2009 at 03:45 PM
No love for Inkie Bus, 2 comments, Neko has close to 20, all hail Neko!
Posted by: Scott | July 21, 2009 at 05:14 PM
First time seeing Incubus and I thought the show was great and Brownlee's review was spot on. Being 48 years old, I don't fit the typical demographic for this band as Brownlee described above but I've been following them since their inception mainly because I appreciate their versatility and their general vibe.
Always liked their records but I must say I was pleasantly surprised by their live performance. They rocked it hard, slowed it down midstream with a mini-acoustic set and then finished strong although as stated above, the encore did meander some. Brandon Boyd proved to be a dynamic frontmen with an expressive voice and the rest of the band was rock solid especially Jose Pasillas on drums.
While perhaps some of their more hardcore fans may have been left wanting more (more album cuts and/or jamming), for me this was the perfect introduction to their live performance as their touring of Monuments and Melodies made this essentially a 'greatest hits' show. Beautiful night, attractive audience and well-played music...for this old fart, it was an all-around great night and the capper to a week (8 days actually)spent seeing Webb Wilder, Govt Mule, Sam Bush and Incubus.
Posted by: pellboy | July 22, 2009 at 08:24 AM
One of the greatest bands in the music industry. I love the songs by Incubus because it is so awesome and cool.
Posted by: Find friends | July 26, 2009 at 11:16 PM
get cheap convert vob to mkv for less
Posted by: duberrof | February 13, 2012 at 03:21 AM