Review of the Incubus Concert at Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre-Charlotte, August 12, 2009

Incubus is famous for their perpetual touring. The guys, Brandon Boyd (lead vocals), Mike Einzinger (guitar, vocals), Ben Kenney (bass, vocals), Jose Pasillas II (drums) and DJ Chris Kilmore (turntables), finally took a year-long break starting in mid-2008. But they couldn't stay home any longer and on the heels of the release of Monuments and Melodies, a 2-CD greatest hits album, Incubus went back on the road. They played the Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre in Charlotte, North Carolina on August 12, 2009 and gave a stellar performance.

The Duke Spirit, a quartet from the UK, opened the show and impressed the crowd. Lead singer Liela Moss was very entertaining and the audience loved it. Her enthusiasm made up for the lack of it from the rest of the group, guitarists Luke Ford and Toby Butler, drummer Oliver Betts and touring bassist Marc Sallis. Maybe it's the stoic British demeanor, but the four guys are not exciting showmen. However, the group was more polished than in previous performances. The crowd thoroughly enjoyed them and even gave a standing ovation once the set was complete.

Incubus promptly took the stage just after 9pm. The packed house immediately erupted into cheers and applause, which made the guys visibly happy. Since they're on tour in support of their greatest hits album, the set list was made up of some of the most popular songs from the past twelve years. Starting off with "Pardon Me" from 1999's Make Yourself thrilled the crowd. "Nice To Know You" got the audience hopping, as did "Anna Molly" (pronounced like anomaly), and "Stellar." Brandon didn't need to sing, the crowd knew every word and sung along. "Megalomaniac" was accompanied by disquieting Nazi imagery, including Hitlers in winged jet packs, on the large screen behind Jose's shiny gold drum set and DJ Kilmore's setup. Brandon sung "Circles" with such passion that you'd think the inspiration for the lyrics was fresh in his mind, not almost a decade old. "Love Hurts" is a melodic, lighter follow-up to "Circles." The two together were almost symbolic of the course of a break-up. "Just A Phase" from Morning View was the transition into the acoustic part of the evening.

Brandon and Mike began an acoustic version of "Drive" and Ben joined in on bass part way through the song. The three then played "Make Yourself" which is an interesting song for an acoustic set. But Incubus has never been afraid to experiment, and this experiment paid off. The song showcased Ben's skills as a guitar player. Jose and DJ Kilmore returned for "Dig." Brandon played the djembe, Jose played the cajón and DJ Kilmore accompanied them on the keyboard. The crowd was disappointed that they did not play "A Certain Shade of Green" because an amazing acoustic remix was included on Monuments and Melodies.

Many newer fans may not know that Brandon can play the didgeridoo, but he dusted it off for "Redefine" from S.C.I.E.N.C.E., the band's first full-length album. The hard-driving song got the crowd charged up after the mellow acoustic songs. It is surprising that "A Certain Shade of Green" was not on the set list because it was the only single and only song from the first album on Monuments and Melodies. "Warning" followed with its impassioned reminder to not let life pass you by. "Oil and Water", "Quicksand" and "A Kiss to Send Us Off" from 2006's Light Grenades came next. The beautiful yet hard "Wish You Were Here" was the lead-in for "Aqueous Transmission." The peaceful, meditative final song on Morning View featured Mike on the pipa.

The crowd impatiently anticipated the encore. Non-stop cheering and chants of "In-cu-bus" filled the amphitheater during the short break. The guys returned and seemed genuinely grateful for the fans' adoration. The encore was brief, just two songs from Monuments and Melodies. "Punch Drunk" is a B-side rarity never released in America until the greatest hits album. A spirited cover of Prince's "Let's Go Crazy" closed the show.

Incubus is a group of five immensely talented musicians and artists. One disappointing aspect of the show is that there was little deviation from the album versions of songs. Most frustrating was DJ Kilmore's performance. He may as well have played the recordings of his scratches because he didn't change them. The mark of a talented turntablist is the ability to improvise and change things up and he didn't. Ben's style is a major departure from the original bassist Dirk Lance's, and the older songs aren't as good because of it. The amazing bass and turntable solos in "Redefine" were left out, presumably because Ben and DJ Kilmore cannot match the originals. Mike and Jose displayed a mastery of their instruments. Brandon's vocal abilities are phenomenal, as is his stage presence.

The guys put on an astonishing show this night. They fed off the audience's energy and the audience fed off theirs. Brandon was expressive, excited and exciting. He was a true showman. Working the stage, dancing and interacting with the crowd drew them in. Mike and Ben also interacted with the audience, waving and blowing kisses. Jose and DJ Kilmore were more reserved, but also seemed appreciative of the crowd's love. Their performance was reminiscent of their younger days, and they looked like they were having a great time. As usual, the music was expertly played. The lighting, faint smoke and images on the large screen complemented the music nicely. The sound was ideally mixed as well and subtle nuances were clear. Incubus' outstanding performance was in stark contrast to the flat performance of August 9, 2009. They did not disappoint at all and the crowd was thrilled and left wanting more.