Some bands are, simply put, absolutely timeless. And Incubus is one of them.
No matter how many times their songs come on when I put my Spotify on shuffle, I can never bring myself to skip them. And no matter how many times I watch them in concert, I never get sick of them. Incubus’ latest concert in Manila last week was my third time to attend their concert (the second time was when they came to Manila three years ago) and nothing has changed.
I still felt just as giddy as I did the first time I watched them as a teenager, and I still looked forward to the same songs that I loved from that era because let’s face it: nostalgia can bring out so many emotions in a person.
Isn’t it interesting how one song can transport you back to certain moments in your past? Like how ‘Wish You Were Here’ can transport you back to your first beach trip with your family and you missed your boyfriend back in the city? Or how ‘Stellar’ made you dream of finally finding The One someday? Or how ‘Echo’ can make you feel those first butterflies in your stomach from when you realised for the first time that yes, you were in love? Or how ‘Megalomaniac’ can make you feel all of that teenage angst that you felt back in the day?
Memories and nostalgia aside, though, it was really refreshing to listen to really good music live and watch Brandon Boyd and the rest of the band do their thing. They never fail to amaze me and, of course, as the concert progressed, Brandon took off one piece of clothing at a time until he was topless for our viewing pleasure. (Sorry, but that’s honestly always the major highlight of their concerts for me. Not gonna lie! :p)
Incubus’ setlist included songs from their older ‘Make Yourself’ and ‘Morning View’ albums, their era of ‘A Crow Left of the Murder’ and ‘Light Grenades’, and their latest album ‘8’. It was a beautiful mix of songs with a little bit of something for everyone. I noticed that a lot of the people around me were more familiar with their ‘8’ songs, while I reacted mostly to their older songs. On that note, though, the coming together of different generations to listen to one band was beautiful to behold.
It’s official: I will never get sick of listening to Incubus or watching them live. While it may be true that their sound tends to change and adapt to the times, they still manage to make me feel so many different things with their songs. The fact that they come up with such beautiful lyrics for their songs definitely helps a lot!
My favorite moment, though, was when the entire Araneta Coliseum came together during one silent moment to sing ‘Happy Birthday’ to Brandon, who turned 42 years old a few days before the concert (February 15, to be specific). Yes, can you believe that this handsome man is 42 years old now? I still remember falling in love with him when he was just 23. My, how time flies!
I am still on a major high and will definitely be looking forward to their next return to Manila.
Were you at the concert, too? Which song was your favorite one on their setlist?
