 Brandon Boyd of Incubus at The Backyard - more photos... photo by jeff barringer - staff photographer |
by jeff barringer
club kingsnake staff
Incubus
Hometown: Los Angeles, California
http://www.enjoyincubus.com
Incubus Concert Photos
Monday, September 3rd, 2007
The Backyard (Austin, Texas)
I love Incubus. They make my job easy and fun. Both times their Austin gigs have been solid packed sold out shows, and both times they still found room for us photographers. They could have easily played the superstar card and been really exclusive, but both times they have been gracious and allowed myself and others to shoot them, even at their show at La Zona Rosa where as many fans listened from outside the gate as were in the sold out club.
Tickets for the Incubus show at The Backyard sold out almost immediately upon announcement, and while I had hoped to get in, sometimes you never know til the day of the show. I requested my passes about a week prior and got a confirmation from Direct Events almost the next day. Moondog and Jay also got approved and we ended up meeting in the photographers "bullpen", waiting for our escort. They had got done shooting the first band and had been there for a while before I showed up.
 The Bravery at The Backyard - more photos... photo by jeff barringer - staff photographer |
Traffic problems on my long commute meant that I arrived late, missing the opener, Simon Dawes. I did get there just in time to catch the set by New York's The Bravery. Escorted down to the pit by Emily and Trevin from Direct Events, the venue was about half full and filling rapidly. Settling in behind the barrier, it was still light out when The Bravery took the stage. Veterans of several Austin gigs including a show at Stubb's, they have their own fan base here, though I don't know if many were able to beat out the Incubus fans to tickets. Vocalist Sam Endicott worked his wiry body around the stage sounding ever so much like Robert Smith of the Cure and bouncing through their 3 songs rather quickly, they sounded like a fun band. I wish I could have seen more of their set, but after that third song we headed out of the pit to be escorted back to the bullpen.
Crowds continued to stream in as we cooled our heels under the shade of a huge oak tree. For Incubus instead of the first 3 songs, we were going to get to shoot the second 3 songs, so we had a bit of a wait. The light had faded by the time Incubus was ready to go and our escorts appeared to take us down.
 Mike Einziger of Incubus at The Backyard - more photos... photo by jeff barringer - staff photographer |
The theater was full and we had to squeeze our way up to the right side of the pit. Holding at the edge, the lights dimmed, the crowd roared, the lights kicked on and Incubus launched into
Quicksand. Immediately hundreds of arms gripping cell phone cameras rose from the assembled crowd almost at once, as if pointing to the sky in "Close Encounters". Little glowing screens could be seen everywhere, replacing the ubiquitous Bic lighters of the 70's and 80's and waving back and forth with the music.
We probably weren't a minute into the song when security booted the first crowd surfer from the pit. During the three songs we waited at the edge of the stage, it seemed an almost endless progression of surfers getting escorted out, only to make their way back into the maw, and back up into the pit to go through the cycle again.
After the third song the photographers were loosed on the pit, and we pushed our way in past the crowd, the surfers, and security. Spreading out along the edge of the stage, we barely had time to get our cameras up before Incubus kicked into
Anna Molly. The skies were dark, the lighting was perfect, and it was a great night for shooting.
It seemed like only seconds elapsed before the song was over and they started into "Nice to Know You". I kept working my way back and forth in front of the stage, trying not to get entangled with security, the other photographers, or the persistent surfers, still coming over the barrier with regularity. Soon, this song too was over, and we were down to the last number we could shoot.
Dragging out a large (bongo?) drum, Incubus frontman Brandon Boyd opened the song
Vitamin, on a darkened stage with a single spot, before the rest of the band joined in. All too soon the song was over, the tap on the shoulder comes, and we are escorted out of the venue, memory cards full and the sounds of
Nowhere Fast echoing off the hills as we made the walk back to our cars.
 Jose Pasillas of Incubus at The Backyard - more photos... photo by jeff barringer - staff photographer |
Incubus Set List:
Quicksand
A Kiss To Send Us Off
Wish You Were Here
Anna Molly
Nice to Know You
Vitamin
Nowhere Fast
Love Hurts
Drive
Megalomaniac
Sick Sad Little World
Let's Go Crazy Cover
Oil And Water
Dig
Stellar
Look Alive
Aqueous Transmission
Incubus at The Backyard - more photos... photo by jeff barringer - staff photographer

|