Incubus lights crowd at Universal Amphitheatre
By Daily Bruin Staff
Dec. 2, 2001 9:00 p.m.
 CATHERINE JAYIN JUN/Daily Bruin Senior Staff Lead singer
Brandon Boyd of Incubus sings with the band during
a more than hourlong set at the Universal Amphitheatre
Saturday.
By Chris Moriates
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
“They say Los Angeles is jaded, but you guys are awesome.
You are a beautiful crowd,” said a shirtless Brandon Boyd,
lead singer of the rock band Incubus at the sold-out Universal
Amphitheatre on Saturday night.
And he was right. The crowd sure looked beautiful as they lit up
the amphitheatre with their lighters during songs
“Drive” and “I Miss You,” or as they sang
louder than Boyd during “Stellar” and “Wish You
Were Here,” or as they presented gifts like a large stuffed
animal ape and a glow-in-the-dark bracelet by chucking them up onto
the stage between songs.
Long gone are the days when Incubus would perform in the dingy
Cobalt Café in Sherman Oaks, Calif. The band now boasts an
elaborate stage set with captivating light work and highly crafted
sound. Guitarist Mike Einziger (the one with the big curly hair)
has mastered his effects board in the vein of U2’s the Edge,
and simply presents a complex atmospheric sound to most of the
verses of Incubus’ songs, as well as a crunching distortion
to the overpowering choruses.
Incubus performed through a more than hourlong set that
highlighted songs from its last three releases ““ the brand
new “Morning View,” 1999’s “Make
Yourself,” and the newly remastered and rereleased
“S.C.I.E.N.C.E.”
The group chose to start the show with three songs from
“Make Yourself” and the song “Glass” from
“S.C.I.E.N.C.E.,” interestingly waiting until the fifth
song of the set to perform any new material from “Morning
View.” Incubus has amassed so many successful singles in its
relatively short career that the band was able to spread them out
through the night, keeping people in the crowd on their feet,
singing at the top of their lungs.
Alex Katunich’s bass work was powerful, as it was placed
heavily in the mix, and added another dimension to the music. The
music at times was so powerful that it seemed to transcend the
walls of the amphitheater, as Boyd himself appeared to look up and
play to the stars beyond the ceiling.
During the encore, Boyd returned to the stage with a didgeridoo,
a large, wooden instrument, playing to an ecstatic audience and
eventually breaking into “I Miss You,” and “Nice
to Know You.”
Incubus may be on “TRL” and the band members may
cause pre-pubescent girls to scream “ohmigod” while
clutching their hearts in hormonal excitement, but one thing
evident from the concert this weekend was that Incubus is still
making good music ““ probably its best music to date.
But it was hard to ignore the many concertgoers, too young to
enter PG-13 movies without adult supervision, who were accompanied
by adult chaperones. But this was a hell of a first concert
experience.
If Saturday night’s concert, which sold-out in a reported
seven minutes, is any indication, then Incubus is not going
anywhere but to bigger venues and more videos on heavy
rotation.
MUSIC: “When Incubus Attacks Vol.
2″ DVD/video hits stores on Dec. 11. Check out www.enjoyincubus.com for more
info.
