I got to see my favourite band of all time last month. You probably heard me gush a little bit about Incubus last week but I wanted to share some more photos from the gig because they were honestly the best band I’ve ever seen live, and I’ve seen a lot of live bands in my lifetime.

You see, I have loved Incubus for over half my life. I must have been about 14 when my best friend stole her older brother’s hard drive so that we could listen to his music in her bedroom. We downloaded the entire collection onto our Ipods, and that was the first time I came across them.

They were unlike anything I had ever heard before – powerful and heavy, but melodic and beautiful. I collected all of their albums over the years, and they would play on loop in my car, and grace the speakers of every house party I ever played music at.

Then, when I hit my early twenties, I went through my first break up. A proper gut wrenching, heart breaking separation, from a boy I had been in love with for five years of my life. He left me out of the blue, to be with someone else, no real explanation other than that he wasn’t happy – which is fair enough – but he didn’t give me a chance to fix whatever was wrong, and it made me feel a bit useless if I’m honest.

For months I had written off love – as you do when you get hurt as a teenager – so I shut myself off from the world, trying to figure out what was wrong with me and why I wasn’t good enough. I never wanted to feel that vulnerable again and I was scared to get close to anyone.

Then one evening, I was sat in my car down by the beach, singing along to an Incubus album called Morning View, and this song called Echo came on. I’d heard it hundreds of times in the past, thousands probably, but that day I sat and listened and everything just felt a little better.

There’s something about the look in your eyes, something I noticed when the light was just right. It reminded me twice that I was alive, and it reminded me that you’re so worth the fight

It sounds so cliché doesn’t it. You hear stories about people who claim that a song has changed their life, and I’d usually scoff at the thought, but the reality is that words are incredibly powerful. For me it was a single line in the chorus, and for some reason, it just resonated with me.

My biggest fear will be the rescue of me

It’s one of those phrases that can mean something completely different to everyone. The thing I feared the most at the time was letting myself get close to anyone, which led me to write off ever finding love again, but those nine little words made me feel like there was still hope. That if I faced my fears head on, good things would come out of it.

And they did. I decided then and there to take those words literally, and so the phrase has become almost a mantra to me – I even got it tattooed on my back. It’s resulted in me travelling far and wide, meeting new people, and finding my soulmate. I have never told myself I can’t do something out of fear. Fear is merely an obstacle and the rewards for getting through it will save you more than you could ever imagine.

I’m hoping my tale will give you a little perspective when I tell you that as soon Incubus came on the stage, I bawled my eyes out. I’m not an overly emotional person, but as soon as they opened with ‘Privilege’ to a packed room, I could feel my eyes well up and I had no control over them.

I have waited so many years to see these guys, and even after Jess had surprised me with tickets, I don’t think I quite understood what seeing them meant to me until I was watching the song that changed my world played right in front of me – yes, they played Echo about half way through the set, and yet again my eyes were wet.

They played songs spanning 5 of their countless albums, including my personal favourites; Anna Molly, Meglomaniac, Pardon Me, and Sick Sad Little World. I was buzzing from being able to sing along to tunes I have loved for decades, but it wasn’t just that, I was buzzing from being in a room surrounded by people who were just as passionate as I was.

When they played ‘Love Hurts’, the entire crowd started singing along – I’ve never experienced anything like it. Not a single person was silent, even if they didn’t know the words. After doing a cover of the INXS song ‘Need You Tonight’ – which is now my favourite cover of all time – they ended their set with ‘Wish You Were Here’ before coming back with ‘Drive’ and ‘A Crow Left of the Murder’.

To say that they performed amazingly is an understatement. Every song ran fluidly into the next, and it was overwhelming how much passion went into each song they played. I didn’t want the night to end, it was honestly the greatest gig I’ve ever been to, and I’m actually a little worried that nothing else will top seeing them.

What was the best band you ever saw live? Let me know below.

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