Album celebration tours offer a uniquely special connection to the bands we love. The effort is a live showcase of a masterpiece delicately presented exactly as intended – in order and on concept.
Incubus brought their fourth album, a warm classic: Morning View (plus “the hits”) to New York City’s illustrious Madison Square Garden, with a compelling set of more than 20 tracks true to their seasoned repertoire.
Released in October 2001, Morning View is a collection of deeply loved tracks – each song exudes its own special aura – but as one collective piece of work it’s an outstanding accomplishment that strikes the perfectly balanced contrast of sway and scream-worthy nodes: The essence of Incubus, if you will.
Whisked back to my early teenage years watching the orange and yellow disc spin in my nifty five-CD changer, Incubus opened the set hard and heavy with the introductory “Nice to Know You.” We all sing in unison “Goodbye! Nice to know you!” It’s a loud crowd, but Brandon Boyd’s beautiful voice prevails. The band plays through “Circles” and cuts into one of their biggest bops, “Wish You Were Here,” which is the ultimate unifier. In the last words of the song the crowd carried out the word “here” in that drawn out, trademark way that Boyd croons.
Blue and green lasers accompanied “Just a Phase” and toned down the angst of the song in a gentle, lullaby-like way. The lyrics offer an interchangeable incantation for all: “It’s just a phase/it will be over soon.” (The way we all sang together was the best group therapy anyone will ever experience.)
The multi-strain stench passed through the air like an arena-style wave from an epic sporting event. Everybody was in, on a Monday night, and it felt so right.
Incubus emanates a family dynamic with bountiful gratitude. After each song, Boyd gently says, “Thank you so much,” in that way that he does. It was like an entertainment set at the Olive Garden and we were all family.
It got groovy through “11 am” and toned down through an acoustic version of the typically heavy set “Blood on the Ground” – a bold, but appreciated choice to go acoustic, but it was beautiful and melodic as our beloved frontman conscientiously maintained a heavier vocal tone. He stayed steadfast as he yelled, “I don’t want to talk to you anymore; I’m afraid of what I might say,” and the impact didn’t waver. That song is pure poetry with a bird’s eye view of the lyrics in stanza form.
The soul of the album is “Mexico” and – typically performed acoustic with a BFF-moment between Brandon Boyd and guitarist Mike Einziger – offers an initiation to fans to join in on the love, but this time was welcoming their newer bassist, Nicole Row, to the stage, who joined them for an updated version delivered by a truly sweet new trio. Row really jived well with this group – it was as if she played in the band all along. She has her own definitive style that’s distinguished, and she is talented AF, but you can tell that she loves the music she’s playing just as much as any fan in the stands. She added her own connective flair while staying true to the bass lines in the collection of music.
At the famed arena that is Madison Square Garden – where acts arguably need to “bring it” – there was a concerted simplicity to their set with artistic lasers and lights that served up subtle nods to the tempo of the songs. The hues of red,yellow, blue, and green surely photographed gorgeously. The color swatches vibrantly encapsulated the brightness of the band, while reflecting the finesse of the record.
Incubus cruised through “Warning,” “Echo,” and “Have You Ever” before setting up a reggae-like intro to “Are You In?” Like we needed a reminder everybody was in – intensely.
When executing an album tour like this one, it’s important to keep things spicy and fresh, and so they did. They infused something into the set for everyone, including an interpolated excerpt of Phil Collins’ classic “In the Air Tonight.” A perfect tug on the hearts of elder millennials, the cover packed punch and Boyd delivered his impeccable spin on the vocals.
As if we couldn’t get more nostalgic, the band slipped into a pretty, little acoustic ditty to cover Rihanna’s “Umbrella.” During the chorus a nearby fan propped open his umbrella to many hearty laughs in the crowd. ‘Truly Wish You Were Here.’ It was surreal to see “Aqueous Transmission” live, as well; an in-the-flesh reenactment of many teenage nights falling asleep with the record on repeat.
The band closed the set true to their promise of delivering “the hits” with “Anna Molly,” “Pardon Me,” “Vitamin,” and a cool-as-a-cucumber snippet of Portishead’s “Glory Box.” The band closed out the church sermon with “The Warmth,” “Dig,” and the home-run closer that was “Drive.” They reminded us all that with “whatever tomorrow brings,” we’ll be there – they’ll be there, with open arms and open eyes.
I’ll be with this band forever, and I’m so glad they’ve been with me forever. As many times as Incubus comes to play, I’ll be there to see them. The consistency and longevity of their performance is profoundly moving and reflective of the heart and soul that each band member shares: another night with Incubus for an amazing auditory experience.
