Incubus recently announced a fall tour celebrating the 20th anniversary of their breakthrough album, Make Yourself — and the band stopped in Washington, DC to play two nights at the Warner Theatre. I was fortunate enough to photograph Incubus on the second night, October 13, 2019. Wow. What a show. Incubus’ performance will be making my top 5 best concerts of the year list. So much fun. So many great songs. Yep, Incubus was on point and the setlist was fucking awesome! Continue reading below for full concert review. All images copyright and courtesy of Andy Jillson.
For those of you who don’t know, Incubus is an American rock band from Calabasas, California. The band was formed in 1991 by vocalist Brandon Boyd, lead guitarist Mike Einziger, and drummer Jose Pasillas. The band later expanded to include bassist Alex “Dirk Lance” Katunich, and Gavin “DJ Lyfe” Koppell; both of whom were eventually replaced by bassist Ben Kenney and DJ Kilmore respectively.
Incubus’ chart-topping album, Make Yourself was released in October 1999 and was eventually certified double platinum. The “nu-metal” or “alternative metal” album was jam-packed with 13 greats songs. The album peaked at No. 47 on the US Billboard and reached at No. 8 on the New Zealand album charts. Not too shabby!
The historic environment of the Warner Theatre was the perfect venue for Incubus’ feature presentation video opening the show, and for their entire live performance. Despite recently releasing their EP, Into The Summer, the band made no mention of new projects, played no “new” songs, and ripped through the entirety of Make Yourself with no dicking around.
Highlights form the show were the songs “Privilege,” “Nowhere Fast,” “Consequence,” “When It Comes,” “Make Yourself,” “Clean,” and Dj Kilmore’s solo performance of “Battlestar Scralatchtica.” Other noteworthy songs performed were “Out from Under,” “Vitamin,” and “Megalomaniac.” If you like the album Make Yourself, you would have loved this show. Incubus flawlessly played the entire album with only a couple noticeable changes.
The strength of Make Yourself is in its collaborative usage of funk, rap, hip-hop, heavy metal, punk, and alternative rock elements. Unlike most other “nu-metal” or “alternative metal” bands of the 90’s, Incubus is extremely talented, unique, and lyrically engaging. They were able to successfully mix several varied genres of music while still maintaining their heaviness.
Throughout their career, Incubus have released a total of eight studio albums. My personal favorite Incubus albums are S.C.I.E.N.C.E., Morning View, and A Crow Left of The Murder… Most of their albums have been certified gold or platinum, making the band a worldwide sensation. Millions of music fans like Incubus for a reason.
The Make Yourself 20th Anniversary Tour is 39-date trek that takes Incubus across North America and Canada. The tour kicked off September 13 and will come to an end on December 7, 2019 at the House of Blues Myrtle Beach in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
I would highly suggest seeing Incubus in concert if possible. They were fucking great! The band by far exceeded my expectations. Be sure to check Incubus’ Official Website for all remaining tour dates and other info about the band.
Here are some more photos of Incubus performing at the Warner Theatre in Washington, DC on October 13, 2019. All images copyright and courtesy of Andy Jillson/Hazy Eye Music Media.
Stream these classic Incubus albums on Spotify: