Incubus is wrapping up their US Spring tour dates before heading to Europe in June. They played in Wilmington on May 23 in a relatively new venue for the coastal town at Live Oak Amphitheater. The venue holds about 7,500, and even on a Tuesday night, it was SOLD OUT! The weather couldn’t have been better for the show, with a not-too-hot sunshine late into the evening and a breeze coming right off the water. Incubus was posting on their socials that day about visiting Carolina Beach, not too far from the venue, so it’s safe to say, they enjoyed Wilmington.
Coheed & Cambria is a guest band on this leg and opened up with a 10-song setlist. They came out with a great energy and were a good fit for this show, reaching a different audience than I think Incubus alone would bring. There was a peace in the venue seeing a unity among the emo kids, punk kids, surfer kids, and everyone in between from all ages.
When Incubus is on stage, it’s a religious experience in itself. With Brandon’s angelic vocals and how he’s able to connect with the audience and make every single person feel like he’s singing directly to them, the show had a very intimate feeling to it, even though it was packed. This year, Incubus welcomes Nicole Row on bass, as their original bass player recovers from surgery.
The set design was pretty minimal with the band spread out on stage where you can see any member at any given time without obstruction, but their telecast screens behind the band were just as much of a show than the actual band. There were overlays over the cameras switching with morphing geometric shapes, retro-acid trip graphics, and a lot of nature-inspired graphics that danced with the music.
There were a few nods to classic bands in the setlist, with a full cover of The Beatles’ “Come Together” and a mashup with the Doors’ “Riders in the Storm” with “Are You In?” and Pink Floyd’s “Wish you Were Here” with their sing of the same title. Throughout their songs, and their cover songs, every voice in the amphitheater sang in unison with Brandon.
The band wraps up the US leg of their tour this month, but they’ll be back touring the US this Fall. All of their dates can be found at incubushq.com. They’re a band you absolutely should experience live. If you can afford the VIP upgrade, I recommend going to their website to learn about the experience where you meet the band and get to watch from the stage. Those experiences are purchased through their Make Yourself Foundation where 100% of the proceeds from those packages go to their foundation that then gets distributed through communities in the nation. They’re currently funding Feeding America. That information can be found on their website as well.
Setlist:
Coheed and Cambria:
Beautiful Losers
Shoulders
No World for Tomorrow
The Running Free
A Favor House Atlantic
A Disappearing Act
The Liars Club
The Suffering
Ladders of Supremacy
Welcome Home
Incubus:
Karma
Privilege
A Crow Left of the Murder
Anna Molly
Just a Phase
Nice to Know You
Glitterbomb
The Warmth
Echo
Come Together (Beatles Cover)
Here in My Room
Sick Sad World
Vitamin
In the Company of Wolves
Are You In? (With Riders in the Storm, by The Doors)
Pardon Me
Stellar
Dig
Wish You Were Here (with Wish You Were Here, but Pink Floyd)
Encore:
On Without Me
Drive
