Western legend defines an incubus as a male demon that makes love to sleeping women at night.
Well, no one was sleeping but it was at night and Incubus was certainly channeling some kind of supernatural power.
On Wednesday, Jan. 31st, Incubus was in full form as they performed at Hammerstein Ballroom in NYC. The crowd wrapped around the block on West 34th St. from Eighth Ave. to Ninth, some of them standing there since 1:30 p.m. even though the doors wouldn’t open until 6:30 p.m.
While VIPs and early birds had the luxury of waiting under the sheltered marquee, most of the 2,500 people on hand waited in the bitter cold.
Albert Hammond Jr. and his band opened to a good response. Hammond is one half of the guitar duo in The Strokes.
His new venture had the frenzied, melodic guitar you would expect from his work in The Strokes, and the Manhattan native held his own on lead vocals. The band rocked and got the crowd moving but in the end, Incubus’s opener was just a poor man’s Strokes.
By the time Incubus took the stage, the crowd was restless, sweaty and moving towards the stage in anticipation. They cheered as the band was seen entering from the back stage door and erupted as they picked up their instruments before kicking the show off with “Quicksand,” the first track from their new album, “Light Grenades.”
“Light Grenades” was well represented with half of the band’s set coming from the new album. In contrast, only one song was played from their 1998 major label debut “S.C.I.E.N.C.E.” Their other albums were better represented.
Of course the obligatory mega-singles “Wish You Were Here,” “Pardon Me” and “Drive” were played, and the latter two were done acoustically.
“Pardon Me” originally aired on American radio stations as an acoustic recording before the studio version was picked up from 1999’s “Make Yourself,” making this stripped down version familiar to the enthusiastic crowd.
As vocalist Brandon Boyd and guitarist Mike Einziger progressed through “Drive,” they were joined by the rest of their bandmates one-by-one as they returned to the stage after a short break.
Highlights of their set included the double bass attack of “Earth to Bella Pt. 1,” the soon to be single “Dig” and the title track from the new album – complete with light show.
During an extended jam in “Light Grenades,” Boyd crouched down to don special gloves fitted with high-powered LEDs. With the gloves Boyd created his own on-stage light show, illuminating the other members of his band as they soloed and eventually his own face as the vocals soared back in.
The band’s encore drove home the entire night with just two songs, “Pistola” and “Megalomaniac,” both from 2003’s “A Crow Left of the Murder.”
With Boyd picking up a Fender Telecaster for “Pistola” and putting all his remaining energy into “Megalomaniac,” the show could not have ended on a better note.
The band bowed, thanked the audience and took photos as they exited the stage.
While I was not wild for Incubus going into this show, I have been made into a fan and supporter.
With an amazingly eclectic style (and audience), Incubus has something for everyone and more importantly, a live show that impresses. The encore songs were personal favorites of mine and the entire concert was worth praise.
I recommend that anyone who appreciates originality go see this band. They manage to play the songs their fan base wants to hear, without giving the audience the sensation of simply having listened to their CD.
After the concert, sounds of Incubus will linger as you sleep through the night, making love in your head.
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