Incubus at Radio City Music Hall

Brandon Boyd

Vocalist Brandon Boyd, lead guitarist Mike Einziger, and drummer Jose Pasillas were in high school together when they formed Incubus in 1991 in Calabasas, California. Incubus carved its own road by merging the prevalent musical styles of the 1990s: funk, nu metal, alt-rock, progressive metal, pop, and trip-hop. Unlike the trend of the 1990s, when many popular bands were testosterone-heavy and brooding in angst, Boyd stood out as the positive "sensitive guy." Although the first few albums were largely ignored by the mainstream, Incubus eventually sold over 19 million albums worldwide. Incubus' eighth and most recent album is 2017's 8; in 2019 the band released a single from a forthcoming album that as yet has no title or release date. Incubus presently consists of Boyd, Einsiger, Pasillas, bassist Ben Kenney and turntable/synthesizer/keyboards player Chris Kilmore.

With no new album to promote, Incubus' Make Yourself and Beyond tour celebrated the 20th anniversary of Make Yourself, the album that rose the band out of obscurity and into double-platinum-selling status in 1999. At Radio City Music Hall tonight, after screening a short documentary about Make Yourself, Incubus performed the 12 songs from the album plus six of the songs that later sustained the band's career beyond the breakthrough album, and also a new song, "Into the Summer," possibly from a forthcoming album. While all but the new song had considerable mileage, the crisp and loud delivery gave them the intensity command of the original versions. The set started with the hard funk and heavy grunge of "Privilege," immediately establishing that Boyd's voice has remained a fine instrument over the years. Choppy guitar chords then gave way to turntable scratching; yes, some of the arrangements still sounded somewhat off-kilter and experimental. The new twists came in the form of Boyd singing a few lines of the Cars' "Drive" within the Incubus song of the same name, and Incubus performing a slower and softer version of "Pardon Me." Although the band was locked into reviving older songs, the band's lively and energetic dynamic pointed to a trajectory of a still-creative future that will become public once the next album is completed.

Setlist:

Make Yourself documentary

Make Yourself album

1. Privilege
2. Nowhere Fast
3. Consequence
4. The Warmth
5. When It Comes
6. Stellar
7. Make Yourself
8. Drive
9. Clean
10. Battlestar Scralatchtica (DJ Kilmore remix)
11. I Miss You
12. Pardon Me
13. Out from Under

And Beyond

1. Into the Summer
2. Sick Sad Little World
3. Are You In?
4. No Fun
5. Warning

Encore:

1. Anna Molly
2. Wish You Were Here