Review: Rock act relives one of its greatest triumphs during sold-out concert

Brandon Boyd stopped midway through Incubus’ performance of “Morning View” and expressed his gratitude to the sold-out crowd at Chase Center in San Francisco on Thursday night.

“Thank you for listening to this album the last couple of decades,” the singer remarked.

The audience expressed its gratitude in return, singing along with gusto to each of the album’s 13 tracks and showering the quintet onstage with rapturous applause at every turn.

The whole thing felt like one big celebration, as the band performed their double-platinum-selling fourth album from 2001 in its entirety and the some 12,000 fans in attendance enjoyed every moment of it.

It was clear that “Morning View” was not just any old album to either side of the equation.

For the band, it marked a sonic turning point — as Incubus veered away from the ’90s alt-rock of the previous album (“Make Yourself”) and moved toward more melodic hard rock sounds that were well-suited for the relationship and other personal themes Boyd explored on the album

For many listeners, this is where their love for the band went to a whole new level, as the group differentiated itself from much of the rest of the alt-rock field by exploring different sounds and vibes. It was a bold proclamation, served up right at the start of a new century, that Incubus would not go down in history as a one-dimensional ’90s act.

Taking the stage at 9 p.m. on the dot, right after an impressively muscular opening set by New York modern prog-rockers Coheed & Cambria, Incubus slowly slithered its way into the “Morning View” opener “Nice to Know You.”

The music was moody and atmospheric, benefitting greatly from way DJ Chris Kilmore neatly wove the turntables into the mix, yet the overall vibe was a continually moving target as they continued to trapse through the songs in the order they are found on the record.

The songs sounded nicely familiar, of course, but they didn’t exactly mimic the recorded versions. Indeed, there was a sense of joy to the music and playing that certainly towered over what one finds on the disc itself. And that element seemed to surprise even Boyd himself.

“This is like a break-up record for me,” Boyd said. “So, it’s amazing to be happy about it.”

The group — also featuring guitarist Mike Einziger, drummer José Pasillas and bassist Nicole Row — delivered a sterling version of “Wish You Were Here,” showing us again that it’s the second-best song ever recorded under that title. (Yes, Pink Floyd > Incubus)

Some of the best parts of the “Morning View” performance came when the band took some liberty with the material and sewed in other songs.

First up, the group revved up “Are You In?” in nice fashion with Phil Collins’ iconic, drum-heavy “In the Air Tonight.” Granted, it wasn’t nearly as cool as when Incubus used to mix “Are You In?” with The Doors’ magnificent “Riders on the Storm.” (Absolutely, Doors > Phil Collins)

Then Incubus brought the house down when it did a surprisingly solid version of Rihanna’s “Umbrella” to open up the group’s own thundering “Under My Umbrella” — which, collectively, resulted in arguably the single most thrilling moment of the night.

Following the completion of the “Morning View” performance, the group huddled up back by the drums and basked in the warm applause. Rather than then departing the stage, however, the five musicians immediately went back to work and delivered a five-song encore highlighted by a strong cover of the Beatles’ “Come Together” and the memorable single “Pardon Me.”

Incubus setlist:1. “Nice to Know You”2. “Circles”3. “Wish You Were Here”4. “Just a Phase”5. “11am”6. “Blood on the Ground”7. “Mexico”8. “Warning”9. “Echo”10. “Have You Ever”11. “Are You In?”/”In the Air Tonight”12. “Umbrella”/”Under My Umbrella”13. “Aqueous Transmission”Encore:14. “Anna Molly”15. “Karma, Come Back”16. “Come Together”17. “Pardon Me”18. “Drive”