23rd July 2011, was when Incubus came down to Malaysia for the third time to perform! The first being at Bukit Kiara Equestrian Resort for the A Crow Left Of The Murder album tour, the second being the first Sunburst music festival in 2008.

I brought my Sony Cybershot WX-1 – so please pardon that all I got is a backlit CMOS sensor instead of some decent APS-C footage from my NEX-5. 🙁

This tour comes fresh after their fresh new album, If Not Now, When? This was taken from the upper area of Stadium Negara, where the toilets are.

And so, Brandon Boyd burst onto stage, with Megalomaniac and Wish You Were Here!

Their stage setup was simple – carpets, and no extraneous decor. What, no Chuck?

Yeah, no Chuck. Here’s Ben Kenney on bass. They did Pardon Me, Have You Ever, Nowhere Fast and Consequence. Yeah, there was a fair bit more of Make Yourself played.

Then came the newer stuff – only one song from Light Grenades – Anna Molly.

And even newer, Promises, Promises, from If Not Now, When?. Yes that’s DJ Kilmore on keys!

Their new album feels like what By The Way was to the Red Hot Chili Peppers – laidback, missing a whole load of guitar, and very melodic. There’s so much piano and organ you’d think that they toured with Elton John! (That is a compliment.)

Thankfully, I had my chance to headbang again when Circles came on. Brandon then hinted at a real old song – Glass from S.C.I.E.N.C.E.. Unfortunately that was the only song from S.C.I.E.N.C.E. played.

Mike Einziger, also on keys!

Then back to the new stuff – In The Company Of Wolves. I was hoping they’d play this song – it turns rather epic halfway in the song… almost like it should’ve been named In The Company Of Wolves/Longest Night Of My Life.

Then came the fresh Thieves and the single that propelled them to worldwide stardom – Drive.

Brandon strapped on a guitar for Pistola. They broke it down with a rather bluesy rock outro.

A more relaxed moment during Talk Shows On Mute and Adolescents.

And finally, for the encore, we experienced The Warmth and Nice To Know You!

Breakdown of songs per album:

2004 setlist:
S.C.I.E.N.C.E. – 4, Make Yourself – 2, Morning View – 5, A Crow Left Of The Murder – 7 and Pantomime. They played just one more song compared to their third concert but it felt much fuller.

2008 Sunburst setlist:
S.C.I.E.N.C.E. – 2, Make Yourself – 3, Morning View – 5, A Crow Left Of The Murder – 4, Light Grenades – 3

2011 setlist:
S.C.I.E.N.C.E. – 1, Make Yourself – 5, Morning View – 4, A Crow Left Of The Murder – 3, Light Grenades – 1, If Not Now, When? – 4

You bet I preferred the 2004 setlist! Though I have to say the Light Grenades album really grows on you (though I didn’t like Make A Move from the Stealth Original Soundtrack.)

As for If Not Now, When? it grows on you pretty swiftly. There is a organ-ic sensibility, though it is unfortunate that Mike seems to have forgotten his distortion pedal.

More pictures from the A900 at Sunburst 2008 here:
Sun-incu-burst