Only a few bands SWOMP has covered over the years reach a different realm, that transcends the physical reality of a live concert, transforming it into a spiritual experience filled with love, positivity, and energized brilliance.
Incubus is one of those bands.
The Calabasas, California rockers brought their tight-knit, groovy blend of hard rock to the Home Plate stage on the opening day of the Innings Festival on Friday, February 21, 2025.
“People of the desert, how are you feeling?” Brandon Boyd, the lead vocalist for the band, asked the Tempe audience.
“Thanks for being here tonight. This is awesome. It’s beautiful. It’s perfect.”
Similar to when SWOMP covered their show in Windsor, Ontario in the summer of 2023, the band’s combined unity and individual musicianship was on full display when they performed “Sick Sad Little World” for the Tempe crowd.
The kaleidoscope imagery on the screen provided a hypnotic backdrop for the 2004 tune.
The band also played a few covers, playing a full version of “Come Together” by The Beatles, and adding a snippet of Phil Collins’ “In The Air Tonight” to the end of “Are You In?”
“We like to play at least one song from when we were children,” Boyd told the Innings audience.
Incubus’ bass guitar player Nicole Row also hopped on vocals for a snippet of “Glory Box” by Portishead, which the band tagged onto their performance of “Vitamin”.
“Nicole, sorry, I fucked up,” Boyd said.
“No, I don’t know if you did,” Row replied, with a laugh.
“Who’s to know? The lead singer or the bass player?” as Row and Boyd shared more laughs and smiles.
More staples throughout the performance were the jaw-dropping guitar solos from Mike Einziger, including a beautiful acoustic bit during their closing number “Drive”.
Drummer José Pasillas was a steady force throughout, at one point engaging in a stunning back-and-forth duel with Boyd, who hopped behind a set of bongos.
Chris Kilmore, sporting a fresh look without his trademark dreadlocks, was behind the DJ booth all set, spinning tracks to provide the Tempe audience with the unique hip-hop elements, adding to Incubus’ signature sound.
Boyd also led the charge for several singalongs with the crowd, most notably with their hit “Wish You Were Here.”
“Innings Fest, THANK YOU,” the band shared on social media after their performance.
“We had a blast Friday night. Gotta come back soon!”
Photographer Charles Reagan captured these stunning images of the band’s Innings Festival performance:
Photographer Nathan Zucker captured this excellent shot of the crowd during the Incubus set:
Incubus is going on tour this year in support of their re-recorded and re-released album Morning View.
All the details can be found at https://www.incubushq.com/.