Review: Incubus & Live, Trusts Arena
Review: Incubus & Live, Trusts Arena
Nostalgia is one hell of a drug
It was starting to get late in the evening. Trusts Arena was at about 90% capacity or so. Sweat was beading on my forehead as the temperature inside the muggy venue started to soar. Incubus singer Brandon Boyd had already removed his shirt and was in the process of re-hydrating himself.
“I wiped my face on the towel,” the normally reticent singer announced into the microphone. “Then I smelled the towel. I fucked up.”
In fairness to Boyd - and to the towel, I guess - the whole place kind of stunk by that point. The body odour of a few thousand moshers mixed with the overworked smoke machines on stage, which in turn mixed with the spilled riesling on every walkway, which in turn mixed with the peach and vanilla and berry scented vapes being used by every second person.
It was starting to feel like a proper concert, even if the crowd - mostly made up of millennials seeking a night back in the post-grunge or nu-metal trappings of their teenage years - are getting a bit old for it.
90s stalwarts Incubus and Live visited Trusts Arena in West Auckland for the second night of their co-headlining tour.
Local support was provided by Midwave Breaks, the Tauranga two-piece made up of Bruce Conlon and Paul Russell - aka half of Eight, a turn of the century rock band with one brilliant album, 2004’s Moving, to their credit.
Two different people I know made the same joke about the pair: “Wait, half of Eight? You mean four?” But all joking aside, Conlon’s voice sounds immaculate, like he hasn’t aged, as the duo tore through some new material (including highlight/closer “Souvenirs”) and a couple of standards from their former band (“No Way To Decide”, “Moments Gone”).
After a short stage reset, Ed Kowalczyk and Live emerge in the opening slot. A proper co-headlining gig, Incubus played first two nights earlier in Christchurch, and the two groups have switched places for the Auckland show.
I’m confronted with a Ship Of Theseus conundrum with this version of Live: singer Kowalczyk is the only remaining member of the band who released Throwing Copper and Secret Samadhi in the mid-1990s. Not only that, but he struck out on a solo career for a few years in the late-2000s. Essentially, what we’re seeing is that solo show under a different name.
It’s clear that this isn’t the Live of yesteryear; the drum work isn’t quite as tasty as it once was, the rhythm section not quite as tight, the guitar work not quite as polished. Kowalczyk is in fine form though.
The group kick things off with four straight numbers from their seminal 1994 album Throwing Copper - “Hold Me Up”, “All Over You”, “Selling The Drama” and “Shit Towne” - which get the crowd singing along, muscle memory taking over when the lyrics start to slip. It’s a set-list predicated on the superiority of the bands earlier work, with only one song released after 2000 - and that song was ostensibly a “cover” from a Kowalczyk side project called Goose Blackstone.
In live videos, and the last time I saw them, uh, live, I’ve found that the singer gets himself stuck in this mode where he’s part frontman, part worship leader, and the middle of the set drags as a result, through a middling version of “Pillar Of Davidson”, the Goose Blackstone song “Leave The Radio On”, and a lovely - if twee - rendition of ballad “Turn My Head”.
The group pull it back with a raucous “Lakini’s Juice” then Kowalczyk leads his new bandmates off stage for a moment, before returning for a short encore to play “I Alone” and “Lightning Crashes”, arguably their most famous songs. I spot a punter in the front row live-streaming the encore to Facebook, so if you’re quick you might still be able to see it. While Kowalczyk sounds great, and the band are passable if not polished, I can’t help but feel like they’re better suited to being the opening act out of the two we’re here to see.
The changeover from Live to Incubus is spent queuing up for a couple of cups of water, chatting to happy punters satisfied at having seen Live, uh, live, and excited about the Incubus set to come.
I get back to my spot just in time for “Quicksand”, the relatively obscure opener from 2006’s Light Grenades, and an interesting, unorthodox selection to start off the show, before Boyd and company tear into a trio of hits in “Nice To Know You”, “Anna Molly” and “Stellar”, then an updated “Circles” from their forthcoming re-recording of Morning View, titled Morning View XVIII. Its at this point that Boyd removes his shirt. He always takes off his shirt.
To be honest with you, I last saw Incubus in 2018, supporting their most recent album 8, and the vibe this time is completely different: its like they’ve found a new lease on life, a new source of energy and enthusiasm. Like their opening act, they stick to what they know works - powerful performances of Make Yourself favourites “Pardon Me” and “The Warmth”, a cover of the Beatles’ “Come Together”, a cut down version of “Are You In” which morphs into an extended bridge lifted from The Doors’ “Riders On The Storm” (and a nice showcase for new bass player Nicole Row to boot).
If I had one main critique, it would be that there were too many covers in the set. Aside from the Beatles and the Doors, the group also find time to switch from “Vitamin” - criminally, the only song performed from 1997’s S.C.I.E.N.C.E. - to a section of Portishead’s “Glory Box”, and even do a full rendition of Bowie’s “Lets Dance”. Call me old fashioned, but I’d rather have heard more Incubus.
Boyd takes a short break while his bandmates mess about on stage, before coming back for an encore of radio friendly unit shifter “Drive” and an ascendant rendition of “Wish You Were Here” from 2001’s Morning View.
And with that, the night is done. Just the small matter of getting out of the venue then out of the cramped car park we found across the road.
With so much movement in the music industry taking the form of reunions and throwbacks, its no surprise that Live and Incubus might seek to go on tour together. But based on tonight, Incubus are clearly the headliners; their material is better, it rocks a bit harder, and it’s more impressive musically.
But nostalgia is one hell of a drug. It was fun singing along to “Lightning Crashes” and “Shit Towne” too. And I wonder if I might feel this same way had the acts played the other way round.
Five Songs Worth Checking Out!
The ”I Wish They’d Played These!” Edition
> Midwave Breaks - “Whale”
The third big song from Conlon and Russell’s band Eight is maybe their best track; it would have been a delight to hear it.
> Live - “Rattlesnake”
The opening track from Secret Samadhi is a quirky and rocky number that is still one of my favourite tracks from that album.
> Incubus - “New Skin”
Honestly, I would give an arm and a leg to see Incubus play their album S.C.I.E.N.C.E. from start to finish. “New Skin” is one of the best, but there are so many good songs off this album that would be a joy to see live.
> Live - “They Stood Up For Love”
Aside from “The Dolphins Cry”, this is the only other memorable - and insanely catchy - track from 1999’s The Distance To Here.
> Incubus - “Black Heart Inertia”
I will die on this hill: “Black Heart Inertia” was one of the two new songs recorded for best of compilation Monuments & Melodies, and I reckon its as good or better than anything the band has released since 1999’s Make Yourself.
Thanks so much for reading.
My Week In Music will be here at the slightly later time of 1.00pm.
Mā te wā,
Chris