It was a sticky Saturday night at Treasure Island Amphitheater in Welch, and it wasn’t just the packed-in crowd that was feeling the weight of it.
“You guys like it hot, huh?” lead vocalist Brandon Boyd joked about a third of the way into Incubus’ set. “I do, too.
“My underwear feels weird, but I [still] like it,” he quipped, and the audience erupted in laughter. “Every single one of you knows what I’m talkin’ about.”
Threats of thunderstorms had loomed all day, but the band was able to get through its entire set under clear-yet-muggy skies. Incubus was in Minnesota as part of its “Morning View + The Hits” tour, which features the band performing its landmark 2001 album in its entirety alongside its most beloved songs.
Incubus last played in St. Cloud in 2023 and at the Armory in 2019, so fans here were more than ready for this return stop.
The band headlined a sold-out arena run last year, and fans on this night were no doubt excited when our state was added to the extended Morning View + The Hits tour in 2025, this time with Manchester Orchestra joining as special guests.
The 13-city circuit, which wraps on October 4, coincides with last year’s release of Morning View XXIII, the band’s re-recording of the original, double-platinum album that spent 60 weeks on the Billboard 200 and peaked at No. 2.
This tour is a celebration of both where Incubus has been and also where they’re going, with the added, meaningful touch of donating $1 of each ticket sale through the band’s Make Yourself Foundation, which it founded in 2003 to support communities around the world through various projects and organizations.
In Welch, Incubus reminded everyone why they’re still relevant after more than two decades. They’ve grown without losing their core identity and matured without becoming predictable. At Saturday’s show, it felt like Incubus wasn’t just here as part of a trite nostalgia tour; the musicians seemed to be engaged with the songs, truly enjoying themselves rather than just going through the motions.
No one more than Boyd proved this. At 49 years old, the rocker looked to be nowhere near slowing down, and his voice was as strong as ever. His energy only seemed to grow as the night went on. He joked with his bandmates, energetically banged a gong at the end of a handful of songs, and enthusiastically broke into a djembe solo (forgive me if I’ve misnamed this drum) near the end of “Vitamin,” which created a slow, sexy vibe that morphed into a smouldering partial cover of Portishead’s “Glory Box.”
Boyd started the evening wearing a black leather jacket, black pants, white socks, and sneakers. As the show went on and the humidity intensified, the jacket was discarded, and his white tank top layered with a black cut-off t-shirt (printed with a bikini-clad woman on a motorcycle and a wolf howling in the distance, naturally) put the vocalist’s tattooed, muscular arms on display. Eventually, much to the delight of many in the crowd, those two items were tossed aside, and the rocker performed shirtless for the rest of the night.
Boyd was joined on stage by lead guitarist Mike Einziger and drummer José Pasillas, who have all played together since 1991 when the band formed at Calabasas High School in California.
Today, Incubus’ DJ is Chris Kilmore (who donned a black baseball cap embroidered with “Golf is Evil”), and 34-year-old bassist Nicole Row, who officially came on board in early 2024 after building a reputation performing with Miley Cyrus, Panic! at the Disco, Dua Lipa, and other big names.
Before these four could perform, however, Manchester Orchestra had the task of warming up an already-sweating audience while the sun set at our backs.
Formed in 2004 in Atlanta, Georgia, the foursome today consists of lead singer and rhythm guitarist Andy Hull, lead guitarist Robert McDowell, bassist Andy Prince, and drummer Tim Very.
Many in attendance seemed as excited for Manchester Orchestra as the headliners, which I understood after witnessing their impressive performance. Particularly in the front sections of seats, several groups of people stood, dancing and singing every lyric along with the band.
A touching tribute throughout the evening was for a young fan. She, along with her family, was off to the side of the stage for the first part of Manchester Orchestra’s set, and the beginning and end of Incubus’. The opening band wrote “For Eleanor” in neon-pink gaff tape on a section of its gear, and a gold angel statue stood on top. The fan of honor bobbed her head along with the music as she perched atop her (I presume) dad’s shoulders.
Other highlights of the tour stop, besides this lovely recognition and Boyd’s arms (ha), were some particularly exceptional song performances.
Manchester Orchestra’s “The Gold” produced an uplifting, lush, and immersive atmosphere in the open, outdoor setting. And Incubus induced goosebumps with several tracks, but the ones that stood out the most were “Wish You Were Here,” a booming “Megalomaniac,” and the three short covers the band wove in: Rhianna’s “Umbrella,” Phil Collins’ “In The Air Tonight,” and the previously mentioned “Glory Box.”
Incubus closed with “Pardon Me” and then graciously and sincerely thanked the 16,000 fans in attendance while they basked in thunderous applause.
When my sister (whose photographs grace this page) and I began the trek to the parking lot, we got word that lightning had very recently been spotted just 10 miles away. A light rain did eventually come once we were safely inside my car. But as we drove back to “The Cities” from Minnesota’s countryside, windshield wipers arcing in time to the Incubus songs booming from my speakers, she and I marvelled at how we avoided the lightning but still got to see an electrifying show even if it was provided by a foursome from California rather than Mother Nature.
SETLIST
Nice to Know You
Circles
Wish You Were Here
Just a Phase
11 am
Blood on the Ground (Acoustic)
Mexico
Warning
Echo
Have You Ever
Are You In? (Phil Collins “In The Air Tonight” outro)
Under My Umbrella (Rihanna “Umbrella” intro)
Aqueous Transmission
Megalomaniac
Anna Molly
The Warmth
Vitamin (Portishead “Glory Box” outro)
Drive (Acoustic)
Pardon Me
