[Review] Incubus At The Hollywood Bowl – October 7, 2011

Incubus' Brandon Boyd performing at the Hollywood Bowl // Photo: Cody Black

Sequels, second acts, encores — there here to remind us about the greatness of the first. Incubus, after conquering the modern rock world in the middle of last decade, releasing a greatest hits album and going on a lengthy hiatus, have entered that second act.

[Gallery] Incubus At The Hollywood Bowl…

Incubus will never top their 2004 performance at Red Rocks, Colorado. It simply won’t happen. The DVD of that night shows a band ready to take on the world by infiltrating the soul of each audience member. The creative energy (DJ Kilmore playing a freakin’ theremin!), musical output and band charisma surrounding that night was made into a DVD I still play it on rainy days for goodness sakes. But if there sold out show at the Hollywood Bowl under the stars on Friday night was any indication, Incubus is not ready for their swan song.

Incubus had three huge advantages going into the night:

1) Young the Giant, a worthy descendant and torch-bearer to Incubus’ almost-arena California rock, got the crowd as the dusk turned to darkness. YtG walk a fine line between riffless indie-rock and more radio-friendly fare, but its a balancing act that hits on all cylinders when it’s good.

2) The concert being a hometown show and all for Incubus, the night was a sort of homecoming celebration for the band, and it truly showed how far and wide the band’s music has reached. Young and old (the Bowl could have been renamed Cougartown for one night), all kinds of different ethnicities and races, skinny jeans, suit jackets, weed smoke and bottles of wine — every cross section of Southern California was in attendance to welcome back a band they have loved for so long, even before they passionately banged out “Meglomaniac” and “Wish You Were Here” to start.

3) The Hollywood Bowl itself: It was 70 degrees, not a cloud in the sky, and the iconic band shell of the Bowl dressed in red and blue lighting as Incubus rocked from pool circle to upper lawn. What more could you ask for to start the weekend?