As the working week rolled to an end and the general population were making their way home or to their favourite Friday afternoon drinking holes, an eager crowd began to gather at South Brisbane's Convention and Exhibition Centre.
A sense of anticipation brewed amongst the growing crowd as accounts of shows past and opinions of favourite songs were traded until the doors were opened and the gathered mass began to file in. The time had come to get the much awaited return of Incubus underway. Before the main spectacle began the crowd was warmed to the occasion by alternative rock boys, Papa vs. Pretty, whose energy was apparent from the moment they took stage. The three-piece hailing from Sydney Town had the early comers nodding along vigorously with a number of their hits including One of the Animals, The Darkest Hour and Honey. The infectious melodies coupled with the erratic hair shaking from front man Thomas Rawle soon had the swelling crowd well and truly limbered up in readiness for the main act.
As the lights dimmed, the now almost capacity crowd became vocal as the general admission ticket holders surged forward in an attempt to get closer to the stage. The familiar industrial start of Megalomaniac rang out across the room and it was immediately apparent that after 21 years as a band, Incubus had not lost their ability to draw their audience in.
Pardon Me was the follow up from the opener which saw Brandon Boyd break out into his familiar eccentric dance routine. The tight melodic sound continued throughout the entire set which encompassed songs spanning 5 of the 6 studio albums with clear crowd favourites such as Drive, Wish You Were Here and Anna Molly receiving the largest of cheers. Newer songs from their 2011 release, ‘If Not Now, When?’ seemed to be well received by the crowd with the sing-a-long portions of Switchblade and Adolescents regurgitated back to the stage with an appreciative energy. From the outset Incubus provided a tight, melodious serving of entertainment, even breaking into the chorus of The Doors 1971 classic Riders on the Storm midway through Are You In.
After an hour long display of pure musical craftsmanship the five-piece left the stage which caused a simultaneous foot stomping reaction from the crowd. The pounding of feet against the floor accompanied by the chanting demand of an encore echoed for nearly 3 minutes before the band graced the stage once more. The show was then rounded off with two additional songs, the final being A Certain Shade Of Green, after which all band members thanked the legion of adoring fans, throwing picks and drumsticks into the crowd and smiling wildly in what could only be described as satisfaction.
WORDS Josh Zahra - AAA Backstage
Photo credits Brisbane Times
