INCUBUS AT ACL LIVE IN AUSTIN
Walking up to ACL Live with just a few minutes before opening band, Le Butcherettes, were set to take the stage, I could see the line waiting to get in all the way down the block. People from every demographic and walk of life were in attendance. Tonight’s main act is the legendary Incubus, and they are on tour supporting the 20th anniversary of their iconic third studio album Make Yourself.
Le Butcherettes took the stage at 8:00pm sharp, and immediately started the night off with an intensely fun and energized performance. Fronted by vocalist/keyboardist/guitarist Teri Gender Bender, the band powered through about 40 minutes of material, mixing garage rock, punk, and jazz/fusion/rock elements to create a unique blend of aggression and finesse. Each song was met with a chorus of applause, and you could certainly tell from the smiles on all members’ faces that they were on stage doing what they loved. Opening for Incubus is no small feat, and they did an outstanding job getting the energy up and the audience prepared.
Prior to Incubus taking the stage, the audience was treated to a 6-minute video encapsulating the band’s incredible career, their early influences (like their first time traveling internationally), and the recording process of Make Yourself. Considering how different Make Yourself is to its predecessor, S.C.I.E.N.C.E, I think the video was really interesting and did a perfect job getting the audience to connect on a nostalgic, more personal level. Towards the end of the video, the lights dimmed, the crowd roared, and the band took to the stage.
Opening the set with the track “Privilege”, it was immediately clear the band would perform Make Yourself in its entirety, with the setlist ordered as it is on the album. This further engrained that sense of nostalgia, as I (and probably the other 2,700+ plus attendees) have listened to this record back-to-front more times than I could ever count (remember when CDs were a thing?). The band sounded as powerful as ever, and performing in this more intimate venue, as opposed to their last Austin performance at Austin 360 Amphitheater, really allowed vocalist Brandon Boyd to let loose while connecting with the audience more personally. It was obvious every member on stage was just as excited to perform these songs live 20 years later as the audience was to hear them. It was surreal. I certainly wasn’t the only person thinking back to who I was and what I was doing when I first heard these songs 20 years ago; what the world was like versus now. It’s a cliche to say things change, and it can be overwhelming when we really think about the specifics, but, I can say with certainty that watching this amazing group of musicians perform these tracks that provided the positive soundscape to so many of our lives for so long, was unforgettable. I’ve seen Incubus live quite a few times, and they’ve played songs from Make Yourself at each show, but something about this night was different, cathartic, and I think that sentiment was shared audience-wide. Who would have thought that a 20-year-old album could provide such a needed breath of fresh air?