In concert, Incubus is band that belies its demon image
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Incubus front man Brandon Boyd has it made.
With his chiseled body, camera-ready smile and laid-back surfer's attitude, the Southern Californian led his funk-metal outfit Incubus through a set of rock anthems Friday night at KeyArena — all to the delight of his youthful fans.
As the lights dimmed, the sound of crickets chirping filled the arena, and the band's mostly adolescent crowd squirmed and wiggled its way to the floor, pushing to get a better glimpse.
A giant video monitor behind the drum riser dwarfed the stage. The band made its entrance as a full moon rose across the monitor.
Incubus' rock-ready riffs got the jeans-and-T-shirted crowd of teenagers jumping in no time. It opened with "Circles," the second song from its platinum-selling new album "Morning View."
Incubus wasted little time getting to the favorites and followed up with "Nice to Know You," giving the crowd barely enough time to catch its breath and join Boyd on the chorus.
Boyd, guitarist Mike Einziger, bassist Dirk Lance, drummer Jose Pasillas and DJ Killmore seemed settled and relaxed as they churned out song after song, each getting a hearty roar from the fans. Behind them the video screen displayed stunning visuals.
Schools of jellyfish floated by. Shooting stars streaked across a starlit backdrop, followed by scenes of an ocean coastline.
Boyd took a break to introduce Incubus' biggest hit, dedicating it to a friend who recently passed away. "Wish You Were Here" peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Modern Rock chart and is now resting quietly at No. 17.
The radio- and MTV-friendly tune carried the band to a slower section of the set, where Boyd and Einziger retreated to a pair of couches on stage for a couple of acoustic numbers.
The softer, subtler side of Boyd brought out the Bic lighters and a few shouts of "I love you, Brandon" from the young girls in the audience.
Just as the band readied to pick things up, a now-shirtless Boyd remarked, "There sure are a lot of shoes on stage right now," as the sweat-drenched crowd swayed in front of him, discarding sweatshirts and footwear on the stage.
On just the second night of the tour Incubus finished its set by debuting a new song. Boyd thanked the crowd, but it wouldn't be long before, right on cue, the band reappeared for a two-song encore.
The show ended with the dreamy and melodic "Aqueous Transmission," which slowly faded out one musician at a time as the stage darkened and the crickets chirped.
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