When was the last time we heard anything from Incubus before they released their new song Absolution Calling? 3 years! Yes, it has been 3 years since “If Not Now, When?” and in Incubus-fan land, that translates to ages.
So, when I heard that the boys would be back in Manila for another concert, I jumped at my chance to go and scream my lungs out to the awesomeness of their songs all over again. The last Incubus concert that I went to was in Bangkok back in the early 2000s when I was still an angsty teenager whose sole purpose was to make it to the front row and ogle at Brandon Boyd’s abs. Watching the boys now that I’m in my late 20s was definitely a whole new experience, but still definitely one for the books.
If you missed Incubus Live in Manila, check out these amazing photos from our photographer Kerwin de Dios along with a few musings that I had that night:
Incubus Live in Manila
It’s official: Incubus really has a presence. Before they came on-stage, there was a massive display on the screen with a countdown to their appearance and the minute they appeared, the crowd went wild… and I mean WILD!!! Phones and iPad Minis came to the forefront, people started pushing for a better view, and the screams and song-screams were deafening as they played an old favorite, Wish You Were Here.
Things got even more intense when they played songs like Anna Molly and the crowd went wild at their rendition of Lionel Richie’s Hello. Of course, their main focus of the night was to introduce the crowd to their upcoming EP “Trust Fall: Side A,” set to be released this month, so they played a few of their new songs, as well. The sound of the new songs is definitely new, but still as amazing as ever. Incubus is known for changing their sound (sometimes subtly, sometimes drastically) from one album to the next, so I’m personally very excited to hear what else is on their EP this time around.
For the hardcore Brandon Boyd worshippers, Brandon fed us all with his pasexy voice all night. Who can forget him saying Manila over and over again and as much as he possibly could during the concert? Other Brandon-droolworthy moments include him seemingly making love to his microphone, tying up his long hair into a man bun, and of course, him teasingly taking off his clothes one by one during the duration of the concert. By the time they were at their last few songs, Brandon was finally topless. The screams were deafening. Coz those washboard abs… Ergh. Brandon, do you even age?
The set list for Incubus Live in Manila was a perfect mix of the old and the new, though it felt mostly on the Light Grenades side. Their slower version of Pardon Me is the one that really took the cake for me, though – that, and their short snippet of The Beatles’ I Want You (She’s So Heavy). Another unforgettable moment was when they played Drive and had the crowd sing the chorus. It was beautiful. And so was hearing them perform I Miss You during the encore. It was a night of nostalgia, feels, giddiness and happiness; and the company I was with made it all the more memorable. Definitely a night to remember!
I don’t know about you, but while listening to some of the newer Incubus songs was great, my favorite part of the concert was when they started playing all of their older songs in succession. I lived for the albums Make Yourself and Morning View, so hearing songs from those years in time made me crazy nostalgic. While I did feel saddened that they didn’t play Stellar (okay, that’s an understatement… I kept screaming for them to sing it until the very end and was really surprised they didn’t), Incubus Live in Manila was well worth the time and I would do it all over again if I could. Let’s hope they’ll stick around until I’m in my 50s. Here’s to more amazing memories, Incubus! Cheers!
Incubus Live in Manila
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