An Incubus Concert Review.

By Robee Christopher Obong

THE CROW HAS LEFT THE MURDER� Of Monotony that is.

March 12. Incubus set foot on Philippine grounds to basically �rock the house� as part of their world tour to promote their latest album, �A CROW LEFT OF THE MURDER�.

The band came and served as an ice-breaker in the current music scene of the country. While the �acoustic� fever was spreading like an epidemic (not to mention the word being abused), the concert gave salvation to originality and talent ingenuity.

Free from the usual boring opening acts, Incubus kicked off the show with �Megalomaniac�, their first single from the album. Then came the energy rushing like a waterfall from the stage, through the midst of the PICC Open Grounds, and to the four corners of it; with everyone singing the words of the song to sympathize with vocalist Brandon Boyd�s political rants. What followed was a mixture of some songs from the CROW album and the previous ones � all great and never lacking praise in performance as if you�re just listening to their records with high-quality amps and speakers.

Halfway through the show, Boyd surprised the audience by playing the guitar, which he doesn�t really do as a full-time vocalist of the band per se. (Although he does play some percussion and the didgeridoo, an aboriginal instrument, from time to time.) At that turning point, the band introduced �Pantomime�, a melodic ballad that didn�t quite make it for the album for some reason. Boyd playing the guitar left a great deal of impression on the audience. And with lyrics like ��I have found beyond all doubt� We say more by saying nothing at all..� delivered by this versatile singer, you can never go wrong.

The concert�s downfall, however, was how the giant screen was placed and what it projected throughout the whole night. Probably, 80 percent of the audience had no choice but to glue their eyes on the screen because (1) of the far distance from the stage which most had to settle with due to the high ticket prices; and (2) this center screen, huge as it was, literally blocked the view to the stage where the real action is taking place.

Furthermore and unfortunately, the screen showed almost constantly only Brandon Boyd, seemingly implying the other band members� appearances as just cameo ones. Not that there�s anything wrong with the vocalist leading the band, but it failed to showcase Einziger�s guitar skills, Kenney�s bass thumping, Pasillas unstoppable drum beats, and Kilmore�s spicy turntable scratches.

Incubus is a band and the concert was anything but a one-man show. When considering a band, the music is comprised of the harmony and relationship of each aspect and member who creates it. It was, after all, a �show�. It was supposed to be not just audibly stunning, but visually as well.

And so featured Boyd most of the time posing and smiling (add taking off his shirt) for the screaming and drooling girls while interludes and guitar riffs were being offered by Einziger (who is, by the way, included in the list of the Top 40 greatest guitarists of all time). Most would agree, the approach that was done for the screen really was ideally wrong.

But then again, what really matters is the essence of the show. In this case, it was Incubus� performance and how it spawned large amounts of energy and serenity at different points (sometimes even at the same time) from the hearts of many Filipinos.

Other highlights of the concert were Brandon Boyd saying �Salamat�, which of course produced a lot of screams from the audience; playing a remix or disco version of �Vitamin�, featuring ad lib percussion-playing by Boyd and Kenney; and the fans, this time, surprising the band by serenading Kenney the �Happy Bithday song�. It WAS his birthday, after all.

Despite the lack of some gems from the band (Stellar, Nice To Know You, Summer Romance, The Warmth), the two-hour playlist was, nevertheless, satisfying.

The show ended with �Pardon Me�, reviving everyone�s energy. And again everyone singing the words, keeping pace with the fast intellectually-challenging lyrics of the song.

What came as just a part of the Incubus long world tour apparently turned out as one of the best shows the band has ever had. And THIS was according to Incubus themselves.

It�s funny how mediocrity sells like ice cream and lemonade on a hot summer day when originality, innovation, and real artistry are just around the corner.

Thank God there are concerts to prove the qualities of musicians. These are chances to see what they�re really made of.

And Incubus is GENIUS multiplied by five!