Ricardo Teixeria
On 24 February the American rock band, Incubus, stopped in South Africa as part of their Incubus 8 world tour. They kicked off their tour with a fantastic performance at the Voortrekker Monument.
Metal-heads and rockers of all ages congregated from all walks of life. Many had been waiting years for the opportunity to see Incubus perform live. As the crowds started growing a few local acts sparked the fire for the event. The all-female band, Hellcats, were up first, setting the mood for the night.
Cortina Whiplash took to the stage next, kindling the flame and attracting rockers like fireflies, as their lead vocalist, Loandi, played bass and seduced the audience with her voice. Soon blues-rock phenomenon, Dan Patlansky, stood centre-stage, adding fuel to the fire with his smooth sound. Armed with his trusty 1962 Stratocaster, Patlansky demonstrated his wild guitar playing while simultaneously teasing the crowd with a few songs from his new album Perfection Kills.
As soon the sun had dipped behind the Voortrekker Monument the concert goers flocked to the cashless food stalls and bar, where they could decide between a myriad of refreshments such as ice cream, tacos and pizza.
At around 21:00 Incubus took to the stage and readied their equipment. Last minute sound checks completed, it was time for the main event. A South African performance has been a long-time coming, since their 1991 inception Incubus has toured the world, but had never performed in the Rainbow Nation.
Formed by lead vocalist Brandon Boyd, with Mike Einziger playing guitar, Alex Katunich on bass guitar and drummer Jose Pasillas, Incubus was born out of a high school in Calabasas, California. The band added turntablist Gavin Koppell to their team before their debut album, Fungus Amongus, came out in 1995. It was only in 1997 that the band’s first major album was released. Enjoy Incubus was a six-track album released for the band to have new material while touring Europe.
A few years later, on the fourth album by Incubus, Make Yourself, their most iconic song, “Drive” was released. An eager fan said, “We’ve been waiting forever to see Incubus, and I love the new album, but I still want to hear ‘Drive’”, while anxiously waiting as the band took to the stage.
After reuniting in 2016, Incubus began working on a new album, 8. The lead single “Nimble Bastard” was released in February of 2017, setting the pace for the new album and the ensuing world tours. Although the album has received mixed reviews, many fans were excited to hear new material from Incubus.
In a sea of faces, voices echoing the lyrics of the band’s number one hit single “Drive”, all eyes were on Brandon Boyd. The lead vocalist, standing shirtless after returning center stage for an encore, with his bandmates to his back, left and right. His face was magnified on the screens and his voice amplified by speakers, as lyrics continued flowing through the amphitheater. After hearing new hits “No Fun”, and “State of Art”, Incubus delivered the moment many had waited for.
Image: Sally Hartzenberg
