A Refugee

I went into this tonight not expecting much. I saw they were coming to town and decided to give them a chance due to it being a few years later and, well, I just missed seeing them.

Good or bad, it would still be fun.

I gotta say…I was very impressed and excited by what I got.

The band seems to have finally found their rhythm together with Ben Kenney (the bassist that replaced Dirk Lance). The man seems much more comfortable and natural on stage now.

They all seemed to be having a great time up there. The crowd was super fun. A lot of sing a longs and energy.

It felt like an old school Incubus concert. The set list was very good too.

There was a good mix of material from S.C.I.E.N.C.E. and the albums following it. I was so happy to see them play Redefine. =) Ben slapped the shit out of his bass. That was something he didn’t do quite so well the last time I saw them.

Incubus also redid the way they approach acoustic songs. It is a lot more intimate feeling even though a few of the songs include the entire band playing acoustic. It just feels less staged than seeing just Mikey and Brandon play together.

Extra enjoyment came from seeing Brandon play his djembe and didgeridoo. I missed that.

All you old school fans better go check out this tour. It was a treat.

It was a great night =) I made some awesome new friends too. I owe them a print for the beer they got me.

Enjoy the photos.

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Well, the Santa Barbara County Bowl stands as one of my favorite venues. If you’re going to see a band at a larger venue this is the one to go to.

You can’t beat the vibe of Santa Barbara and the constant swirl of ocean air engulfing you. It’s a very fitting setting for a 311 show.

311 keeps getting more fun this tour. The band’s spirits are continuously rising and the energy of the crowds keep improving right along with it.

This was the most fun show yet. The set list isn’t changing too much. But, the changes they are making are well received.

It was a blast to have the band come out for their encore and play Omaha Stylee. A great old school song full of energy.

The lighting set up is great. 311 wisely puts a lot of effort into creating a high impact live show. They understand the important role lighting plays in creating such a show.

I’m happy to state that P-nut continued the trend of taking a stand alone solo. He seems to be having more fun with it each night too. On this night he climbed upon a speaker stack to show off his skills. =)

It’s going to be great catching them again in July after they fall into a real groove.

Enjoy the photos:

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