We’re heading into an uncertain era of the wildly popular and successful playing-the-album-in-full model of touring: the numetal era. Records released between 1999 and 2004 are turning 20 and 25 years old this year and in the coming years. Particularly in the alternative sphere, this was a time period of misdirected hostility, aggressive misogyny, and such a push to feel cutting-edge that music often felt dated on arrival. That’s not to say the post-millennial years didn’t produce influential modern rock worth celebrating with anniversary concerts, of course. But for every White Pony and Toxicity, there are at least three or four Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water-s.
Where, then, does that leave Incubus, the San Fernando Valley quintet who pre- and post-dated this wave, but released some of their most popular records during those years? In remarkably good shape, actually. As the band showed during a late August Philly appearance, where they performed 2002’s Morning View in full for a packed house at Wells Fargo Center, this is music that has aged beautifully, performed by musicians with impeccable chops and a dreamy vocalist whose mellifluous voice soars just as it did back in the day, and all of the above still has the power (and occasional levity) to engage an arena full of fans.
Incubus | photo by John Vettese for WXPN
Part of that is certainly due to Incubus’ singular stature in the scene; they didn’t quite conform to tropes that were commercially popular at the time; they were heavy but not metal, they incorporated turntable cut-ups and groove-oriented rhythms but weren’t a rap/rock hybrid, they were often quite hushed and sensitive. Hearing the roaring seize-the-day atmospheres of “Wish You Were Here” fill the Wells Fargo Center along with the voices of thousands of fans, then give way to the brooding and introspective “Just A Phase,” walking down further to a gorgeous acoustic re-imagining of “Blood On The Ground,” the band’s unique tenor shone. Truly it felt (and the kaleidoscopic backdrop underscored this point) like Incubus in general and Morning View in particular is best understood as a psychedelic project through and through, drawing inspiration from their favorite genres and re-contextualizing them, channeling them into something their own.
Frontperson Brandon Boyd, as noted earlier, sounds outstanding — even if occasionally convoluted lyrics like “I haven’t felt the way I feel today in so long it’s hard for me to specify” and “the sky resembles a backlit canopy with holes punched in it” don’t exactly roll off the tongue. (Did they ever?) But he doesn’t skimp on conviction even so, leading the band with both charismatic mystique and down-to-earth humor. He and his bandmates broke down “Under My Umbrella” to incorporate a verse and chorus of the similarly-named Rihanna hit. “Are You In” morphed into Phil Collins’ “In The Air Tonight,” complete with a spot-on beat drop by drummer José Pasillas. Less lighthearted and more clever / cool was the moment during the show’s “Hits” section where “Vitamin” from 1997’s S.C.I.E.N.C.E. slipped into “Glory Box” by Portishead. And when dynamic bassist Nicole Row along with very chill guitarist Mike Einziger joined Boyd downstage for the acoustic take on “Blood,” it could have been played uber-serious and somber, but they cracked smiles amongst themselves and with fans up front, keeping the vibe light.
After a full-on cover of “Come Together” by The Beatles, a giddy Boyd told the crowd that sometimes it just feels good to scream along with a loud rock song. But he also reflected on the significance of having this many fans still locked in after decades of the ride. He spoke about it as a journey; the fans propel the band’s journey, the music soundtracks the fans’ journey, they are mutually intertwined and clearly mutually grateful. And that’s something worth celebrating.
Incubus wraps up the Morning View + The Hits tour Thursday, September 12th at Chase Center in San Francisco; they also play two festival dates this month, Rock in Rio on the 15th and D.C.’s legendary HFStival on the 21st, before taking most of the fall and winter off, regrouping in March to play Puerto Rico and Mexico City before going on a run of Central- and South American shows. Full tour dates can be found here.