Incubus Unplugged

Yunfeng Theater, Shanghai
Thursday, 3-13-08

I never would have expected a band like Incubus would come to Shanghai. To me, they are an anomaly (no pun intended): not quite megastar popular, like fellow nu-metal survivors Linkin Park, yet popular enough to have been around since I was in grade school. I would never declare my undying loyalty or jump at the chance to say they were my favorite band. Yet, many of their songs mean so much to me that I have to admit, yeah, they technically are one of my favorite bands. That being said, technically, tonight's show shouldn't have happened.

Fighting past the unwashed hordes of scalpers, clawing and grabbing at whatever loose fabric they could grasp, shouting "piao ba! piao ba! Hallo! Tickets!", we climbed the stairs to enter Yunfeng, one of the best venues for live music in Shanghai. Housed in a tiny space, the theater recalls concert ballrooms in the US, like Hammerstein and Bowery in New York City and the Palladium and Orpheum in Boston. It was chosen by the band specifically for this intimacy, something very hard to find in such a crowded, invade-my-bubble-space kind of town.

Past the ticket takers and bulky imported muscle (see: steroid security), we saw a sign announcing the unfortunate news that the bassist, Ben, would miss the show due to illness. Drats. What then? No bass, no rhythm? How would this affect the enjoyment of a catalog composed of such groovy, danceable songs? We fretted for many a minute, settling on the idea that they'd just forge ahead as a 4-piece. We were wrong.

After waiting 30 minutes, out stroll Brandon and Mike. Strapping on an acoustic, Mike's age is starting to show, with forehead wrinkles and a receding hairline. Brandon, on the other hand, remains all hotness, with long wavy locks, a killer smile, and a sexy, slinky, tattooed frame (and really cool striped socks, which he made sure to show us). They explained the pared down setting (Ben is in the hospital) and apologized to the crowd (pouring out some tea for his fallen homey). And thus the show began, to much audience confusion. Acoustic. Intimate. Special.

Kicking off this wonderfully surprising set with Morning View hit, "Wish You Were Here", some members of the crowd were audibly frustrated (see: high schoolers and meat heads...on a serious note: really, how did Shanghai have the misfortune of acquiring meat heads? Isn't there a visa screening process to weed out Americans with the rape-conquer-pillage gene? Or is that just part of being from the US?). Cries of "Jose!", "Drummer!", and "the BAND!" were shouted through much of the duration of the show. But to my delight, they continued in the unplugged vein for the next 45 minutes. And it was blissful, something few fans can claim to have experienced.

Performing beautiful renditions of classics like "Drive", "Pardon Me", I Miss You", "The Warmth", "Nice To Know You", and "Talk Shows On Mute", as well as newer numbers like "Anna Molly", "Paper Shoes", and "Love Hurts" from their latest, Light Grenades (sadly, no "Dig"), Brandon and Mike's raw talent was put on, forgive me, center stage.

Incubus are perpetual punching bags, never receiving as much acclaim as they deserve and remaining severely underrated, despite having the longevity to survive in the business for over 10 years. Initially dismissed as a subpar Chili Pepper/Faith No More rip off, already ignominious to begin with, they were subsequently lumped in with the late 90s, early 00s nu-metal clique (see: Korn, Limp Bizkit). With such cruel and unusual misfortune, they couldn't seem to catch a break and shine for what they are: competent, creative and determined musicians. With equal parts beauty and sensitivity, balanced with intensity and ferocity, they can't be pigeonholed. Achingly pretty or raucously (but nicely) aggressive, they can do it all. At tonight's performance, it was obvious that they are an honest talent. Brandon's record-quality singing and Mike's sick guitar skills carried us through, to the point that I didn't care whether the band was going to show or not. However, whether they wanted to sate the hecklers or add a jolt of energy to the proceedings, Brandon and Mike brought Jose (drums) and Kilmore (turntables) to deck and closed the show with some, admittedly, much-welcomed plugged numbers.

Although we sadly missed more hard-charging songs like "Megalomaniac", "Make Yourself", "A Certain Shade of Green", and "A Kiss To Send Us Off", we were still given a few memorable treats. To kick things off, they hesitantly slinked into a cover of George Michael's classic "Careless Whisper", which after receiving positive audience response, was finished off with ease. Brandon confidently pronounced that it was "sexual chocolate." Done playing around, they launched into the band portion of the set, which included an amazing rendition of "Earth To Bella", parts 1 and 2 played back-to-back. The combination of pounding drums, electric guitar, and massive flood lights exploded into the crowd and it was finally resembling a rock show. When they exited the stage, the thunderous audience chant for their return was quelled with a quick scratch-session with DJ Kilmore. The rest of the band returned to a louder roar and the encore continued.

After a satisfying version of "Stellar" (sound effects really make a huge difference), they closed the show with my personal favorite, the fittingly Chinese-tinged "Aqueous Transmission". Perhaps one of their most creative and unique compositions, it is arguably their most beautiful and peaceful. Awash in a lulling flute and bolstered by a thick drumskin thump, the song floats along on a sublime Chinese pipa riff. Accented with sampled nature effects (running water, crickets, bird chirps, frog croaks), the listener is transported to a sunnier, more relaxed and completely happy place (which is probably ironically located in Japan, rather than our lovely polluted home of China). On stage, the beauty translated perfectly, filling me with a calming warmth that still hasn't worn off. As the last whistles of flute and streaming water effects faded out, the house lights came up and the band was gone.

Despite the brevity, it was a wonderful show that felt cleansing and satisfying, if that makes any sense. All my personal favorites were included (I'll forgive them for going "Dig"less), we chanced upon an intimate gig that felt more like a private performance than a concert, witnessed down-to-earth stage banter between Brandon and Mike (notably, the "most important question of your life": what position would you fly in, if you could fly? Make note: Brandon soars in flying kick mode, Jose is a cannonball, and Mike flies backwards, face-up, stiff as a board), and were lucky enough to see just how talented these guys really are. The Chili Peppers should be this creative, while it's needless to say that their "peers" in the Nu-Metal class of 2000 are kicking themselves for fading into a rage- and hate-filled creative abyss without even attempting to evolve. And, most importantly, we didn't have to endure any of the de rigeur attempts at "ni hao" or "xie xie".

In the aftermath of the Bjork fallout and on a night where it could have been much worse (they could just have well as canceled everything without the band's complete presence... I'm looking at, you, Incubus forum haters), we got a treat. And not a "lemons to lemonade" kind of thing, but an honest and spontaneous performance that connected the performer to the audience with a quiet electricity that couldn't have been staged or replicated. In a city where concerts remain hit-or-miss, this was truly something to brag home about. Critical acclaim and griping audience members be damned: Incubus put on a hell of a show.