Review: Incubus at Star Live

March 12
Incubus

RMB 400-600.
8pm. The Star Live (6425 5677)

The night started out for me similar to the four previous times I have seen Incubus, by having a few drinks and getting pumped up. I am an experienced Incubus rocker from back in the states and I was looking forward to the distortion and rocking of past days, but today we saw the other, soft side, of Incubus that is only usually seen for one song at a concert.

The concert was held at Star Live and was dominated by a foreign crowd. Upon walking into the venue there were only two people on stage, not five. Just lead singer Brandon Boyd and guitarist Mike Einziger with an acoustic guitar. The show was very quiet, partly due to that it was an all-acoustic concert and because maybe 10% of the less then 500 person audience knew the words. Incubus still quietly rocked out many of their numerous hits though, like “Wish You Were Here,” “Nice to Know You,” “Anna Molly,” “The Warmth,” “Pardon Me,” and “Aqueous Transmission” to name a few. After playing “Drive” Brandon recalled that this was the first time they have played the song acoustic since recording it. Instead of Mike doing his usual solo for the song, Brandon whistled the solo, which was a nice touch.

Although there were no roaring guitar solos from songs like “Sick Sad Little World” and “Pistola,” which usually last for at least 8 minutes a piece, the crowd was able to witness songs that Incubus rarely plays. Incubus played soothing renditions of “Mexico,” “Talk Show On Mute,” “Love Hurts,” “I Miss You,” and “Redefine.” Another rarity was when Chris Kilmore, keyboards/turntables, came out for the encore to play “Battlestar Scralatchtica.” Kilmore also joined Brandon and Mike for “Aqueous Transmission.” Drummer, Jose Pasillas, joined only for the final song of the night, “Stellar.” It was nice to finally hear some bass drum thumping.

The concert ended early, only playing for 1 hour and 20 minutes, instead of the usual 2 hours. Bassist Ben Kenney was and still is in a hospital in Beijing. The decision to play acoustic must have been a game time decision because all of the amps, guitar pedals, electric guitars, and other equipment were set up. After the show the crew was rather unfriendly. When asked how Ben was and where he was, they had no idea. Later when asked why the band played so short and where they would go after, one member tried to guilt trip those listening to the conversation.

Despite the short, but rare, set list and acoustic only concert Incubus’ performance was definitely one to remember. This was the side of Incubus that people only are able to hear from an MTV unplugged performance, but this time it was Beijing unplugged.

David Kingsbury hails from Cleveland, Ohio where he grew up as part of a family of five with two older sisters. He enjoys loading up on spicy food and is a keen explorer of Beijing's nightlife. In his free time he plays guitar and watches either South Park or Curb Your Enthusiasm, with Chinese subtitles. His been in China since August 2007 and hopes to stay a while longer.

Links and Sources:
Sina: Incubus北京演唱会 不插电演出依旧火爆 (images)
that's Beijing: Moving Target