“Thanks for letting this record be a part of your lives, it’s literally given us ours” Brandon Boyd gushes at the conclusion of the Morning View portion of tonight’s set, at a show celebrating the Calabasas, California band’s seminal 2001 record. And what a record it is.
Time bends and memories blur as Incubus take the stage at London’s cavernous O2 Arena, inviting a sold-out crowd on a journey through one of their most beloved albums. But this isn’t just a nostalgic revisitation of Morning View; tonight is a vivid, living celebration of a band still at the height of their creative powers — and the thousands lucky enough to be here can feel it from the first note.
Incubus @ The O2
As the house lights fade, a hush falls. Ambient tones ripple through the dark, building anticipation until, one by one, the band members walk into the soft glow of the stage. Without a word, they launch straight into Nice To Know You, and it’s immediately clear: Incubus aren’t content to simply recreate the past — they’re here to breathe new fire into it.
The sound is immaculate. Brandon Boyd’s vocals cut through the atmosphere like a blade — warm, elastic, and slightly frayed at the edges in all the right ways. Mike Einziger’s guitar work is a study in nuance, moving from shimmering textures to jagged riffing with effortless grace. José Pasillas sits relaxed behind his kit, his drumming a masterclass in groove and restraint, while Chris Kilmore conjures lush soundscapes from his turntables, keyboards, and theremin. Nicole Row, a commanding presence on bass, melds perfectly into the lineup, her harmonies adding a welcome new dimension to the band’s trademark sound.
Circles pulsates with pent-up energy, the tension tightening with each verse before exploding into the cathartic release of the chorus. From the first note of Wish You Were Here, the arena transforms into a roaring choir. Thousands of voices soar, hands rise skyward, and Boyd steps back from the mic, smiling as The O2 crowd sing the words back to him. It’s not a performance — it’s communion. The band proceed through Morning View in its entirety, honouring the original running order. The flow feels organic, like a narrative unfolding — from the dreamy unease of Just A Phase to the delicate introspection of 11am. During Blood On The Ground, reimagined tonight as an acoustic bruiser, the band showcase their ability to reinvent their own material without losing its core fire with Boyd, Row and Einziger converging in front of the drum riser to deliver the tune.
One of the night’s most breathtaking moments comes during Mexico. The lights dim to a single spotlight spanning Boyd and Einziger, who perch on the frontman’s monitors at the edge of the vast stage, guitar resting lightly across Einziger’s lap. The frontman is raw, intimate, and utterly magnetic. The O2 falls utterly silent, a rare and powerful thing for a venue this size. Even from the farthest rafters, the emotion feels personal.
Incubus @ The O2
When Warning kicks in, the band detonate the stillness with a wall of sound, red and orange lights flashing violently across the stage. The energy shifts again with Echo, the song’s shimmering melodies lifting the room out of its darkness and into pure euphoria. The momentum keeps rolling into Have You Ever — lean, snarling, and tense — before the set loosens up with funky Are You In? The band effortlessly weave more than a snippet of Phil Collins’ classic In the Air Tonight into the middle, Boyd prowling the stage as the crowd erupts at the surprise interpolation, Pasillas channeling Collins’ raw power from the original to a hometown crowd. It’s playful, unexpected, and feels like a special gift just for tonight — had you not studied the current tour’s setlist!
There’s more mischief as Under My Umbrella is opened with a few bars of Rihanna’s massive Umbrella — a wink from the band that draws laughter and cheers. These little easter eggs pepper the evening, small flashes of how much fun the band are clearly having together. They close the Morning View chapter with a sublime whalesong-led Aqueous Transmission, Mike Einziger switching to a traditional Chinese pipa to cascade across waves of ambient sound. Images of koi fish and lotus flowers drift lazily across the screens, transforming The O2 into a dreamscape. No applause interrupts the song’s long, meditative outro — the audience simply floating along until the last shimmering note fades into blackness.
Incubus @ The O2
The silence barely lasts a moment before the house explodes into a chant for more. Without actually leaving the stage, they return, energised and loose, and tear into lead Light Grenades single Anna Molly — the 49-year-old frontman bounding across the stage, his voice sharp and defiant. The light show matches the song’s frantic energy: coloured strobes slicing through thick columns of smoke as the band lock into an irresistible groove.
Make Yourself cut The Warmth offers a different kind of catharsis. When Boyd leans into the line, “Don’t let the world bring you down,” it feels like a benediction — and the crowd roars it back with fierce conviction. Then comes one of the night’s most thrilling left-turns. Midway through S.C.I.E.N.C.E. tune Vitamin, Nicole Row steps to the forefront, bass pulsing low and slow, and launches into an unexpected cover of Bristol group Portishead’s Glory Box. Her voice — sultry, aching, magnificent — brings the crowd to a stunned hush before the full band slam back into Vitamin to a deafening ovation. It’s a jaw-dropping moment that cements Row not just as the “new bassist,” but as an indispensable force within Incubus.
Breakthrough 1999 single Pardon Me follows, a tidal wave of energy and defiance. Boyd leans into the mic, howling the chorus, spinning, arms wide open — the embodiment of release, before handing vocal duties over to his audience before finally, the band ease into Drive, the song that launched them into the mainstream and still carries a quiet power. As Einziger strums the familiar opening chords, the arena becomes a sea of tiny lights — phones held high filming, swaying arms — and voices. Every person in North Greenwich arena seems to be singing, smiling, feeling. It’s a closing moment that feels intimate and universal all at once.
Tonight is proof that Incubus are not a band tethered to their past, but one constantly moving forward — evolving, expanding, still hungry to explore. Morning View was always an album about transition, change, and hope — likely why the group re-worked and re-recorded the LP as Morning View XXIII in 2023 — and tonight’s performance captures that spirit perfectly.
Brandon Boyd remains one of the most magnetic frontmen in rock, a shamanic figure guiding the crowd through every emotional swell, unforced, deeply connected to the music and the audience. Mike Einziger’s guitar work is nothing short of virtuosic. Kilmore’s sonic architecture deepens every corner of the band’s soundscape. Pasillas anchors it all with rhythm that’s somehow both ferocious and fluid. And Nicole Row feels like she has always belonged — bringing new textures, new soul, and a bold new chapter for Incubus. Rather than simply replicate Morning View, the group use tonight’s show to celebrate its spirit: transformation, growth, and vulnerability. Their chemistry is as potent as ever. This isn’t a victory lap, it’s a statement. Incubus are still writing their story — and it’s far from over, with forthcoming ninth LP Something In The Water heavily teased at tonight’s show.
Live review and photography of Incubus at The O2 Arena, London on 26th April 2025 by Kalpesh Patel.
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