Incubus • Manchester Orchestra • Paris Jackson • July 12, 2025 • Utah First Credit Union Amphitheatre
Reviewed and Photographed by Kevin Rolfe
There are certain moments in my life when I can point to a specific moment when I first heard a song or a band. I’ll never forget the day I was introduced to Incubus. A good friend of mine told me that he discovered this band. He was infatuated with them. Growing up about ten minutes away from Calabassas, California, where Incubus is from, I think we had an extra affinity towards them. We knew where they signed their record deal. Or at least where they were rumored to have signed. It was a Red Robin. Don’t tell me if it isn’t true. Because even now, when I drive by that restaurant, I tell people, “That’s where Incubus signed their record deal.” I’d prefer to keep saying that. Some of my friends were in art class in middle school and high school with these guys.
I enjoy their music. I feel so adjacent to Incubus that while I don’t know them at all, I rooted for their success. They definitely got there.
It was the year 2000, and my friend had “Make Yourself” on repeat. I didn’t even have a chance to decide if I like Incubus yet or not. I was going to be listening to them nonstop. As I’m sure you already know, “Make Yourself” is a solid album. My sister loved Incubus. So did my brother. When it was announced that they’d be releasing an album in 2001, the anticipation was high.
There is always this hope that a band you like will continue their streak of putting out good music. When we all listened to “Morning View” for the first time, we knew we had a good one on our hands. So good that 25 years later I was in the photo pit of Utah First Credit Union Amphitheatre about to hear “Morning View” performed live in its entirety. What a full circle moment for me. Just like listening to “Morning View” for the first time, this show did not disappoint.
Paris Jackson
The show started with a bit of royalty. Paris Jackson is famously known as the King of Pop, Michael Jackson’s daughter. I will admit, for the first few minutes, that thought ran through my head about a thousand times. “I’m watching Michael Jackson’s daughter perform.” It mildly blew my mind. I thought about how unique her upbringing must have been. And how much has happened in her young life. But as the show went on, those thoughts faded. The thoughts that replaced them were more typical. There was a musician in front of me performing her songs. It became less and less about her royal lineage and more about what she was bringing to this Utah audience.
Jackson performed a short five-song set with just her and an acoustic guitar. Paris was not on stage long, but her presence was certainly felt. As fans made it on the lawn or to their seats, they remained quiet and focused on the music. Jackson’s voice was easy to listen to. There’s a softness to her vocals, but it’s rich with depth and purpose. I enjoyed “Maker” and “Zombies in Love”. When Paris addressed the audience, she shared our excitement about seeing both Incubus and Manchester Orchestra. But he told us she was going to bum us out first. The only disappointment was her set being so short.
I would love to see her come back to Utah and play her own show. She might have a complicated relationship with this state. I hope she doesn’t hold us against us, and comes back. She’s a talented artist who I think would do very well on a tour stop here.
Manchester Orchestra
The energy had a major uptick when Manchester Orchestra took the stage. I love seeing bands that can easily be headliners on their own tours. I recall seeing Manchester Orchestra play The Complex, and the crowd was so into the show. A lot of people in attendance were there to specifically see these guys. I saw tour shirts everywhere I looked.
I feel bad sometimes for the opening bands that play Utah First Amp in July. The sun is right in their faces, and with the temperature in the high nineties, that can’t feel great. But you would have thought it was a pleasant spring day with the way Manchester Orchestra was going about things. They were so high energy and so fun to watch. They moved around the stage and played up to the audience.
Manchester Orchestra opened with “Pride” and things kept going from there with “Keel Timing”. Andy Hull sounded amazing on vocals. He might be improving as he goes. He’s always had a good voice, but I think he sounds better than ever.
In a really special moment of Manchester Orchestra’s set, they dedicated “The Gold” to the family of Ashley Golden. A 20-year-old who sadly passed away in May from a scooter accident. The moment stopped me in my tracks. It put things into perspective. I thought it was so great of them to honor her in this way. My heart goes out to Ashley’s family. I could tell the audience felt the impact of this dedication. It was a somber but moving moment.
Manchester Orchestra seemed to allude to them not coming back for a while. Andy Hull insinuated that the band would be taking a break, not touring through Utah anytime soon, or something to that effect. I wasn’t sure what he meant, but either way, I hope it’s not true. Because they’d be welcomed back anytime. As I said, so many people were here for them.
The set closed with “The Sunshine”, “The Dinosaur”, and “The Silence”. Manchester Orchestra not only set the stage for Incubus, but they made a huge impression on me and the rest of this crowd. They sounded great. I was so impressed with them.
Incubus
The moment was finally here for Incubus to take the stage. Typically, concert photographers are permitted to shoot the bands for the first three songs. For this show, we were invited to shoot songs 4,5, and 6. I’m not totally sure why, but I was very happy about this. I love photographing concerts. The only somewhat negative thing is when you’re shooting and one of your favorite songs is performed. You’re not really able to get into it as much because you have to focus on shooting. I know, big whoop. It’s not a big deal, just sometimes not my favorite. But in this case, things worked out great.
Incubus opened the show performing “Morning View”. So I was able to watch Incubus perform “Nice to Know You”, “Circles”, and “Wish You Were Here” instead of photographing them. I loved watching the crowd sing along. And while it might not be cool to say, “Wish You Were Here” is my favorite Incubus song. It was so cool to see them perform it. People were singing their hearts out. I did my best to keep composed, but I’m sure I did sing along with the chorus here and there. The band sounded great. So many memories of my friends listening to this album came rushing back.
Incubus performed a very cool acoustic version of “Blood On the Ground”. Brandon Flowers, Mike Einziger, and the newest official member of the band, bassist Nicole Row, gathered together to perform the crowd favorite. The original version of this song is really good. But I loved hearing this take. This band is so interesting. So different from any other band. I sometimes wonder how they got their sound and how they’ve maintained the way they’ve played all these years.
While Incubus was indeed playing “Morning View” straight through, they definitelly mixed things up to stay unpredictable. During another favorite, “Are You In”, Incubus mixed in the Phil Collins classic “In The Air Tonight”. Did not see that coming. I would have never put those songs together, but it totally worked. I could hear the crowd reacting in the moment to the surprising song snippet. “Are You In” was a big highlight for me. Watching Incubus fans sway and sing to the upbeat song was really fun. Incubus also performed a snippet of Rihanna’s “Umbrella” when they performed their song, “Under My Umbrella”. I have to admit that I love that Rihanna song. So I was pretty happy to hear it.
“Morning View” ended with the distinct sound of “Aquenous Transmission”. When the song was over, there was a roar and applause from the audience. Brandon Flowers put his hand out as if to show what had just been presented. “Ladies and Gentlemen, Morning View”. The crowd applauded. It was pretty great getting to hear that album in its entirety. Hard to believe it was released that long ago. But it still holds up.
Incubus followed “Morning View” with a string of hits. I loved how quickly they transitioned into the heavy, “Megalomaniac”. A song that seems to bring out as much passion in the band as it did when it was released. The message seemed to resonate with the audience now more than ever.
The night ended where I pretty much started with Incubus all those years ago. “Drive” and “Pardon Me” from “Make Yourself” closed out the show. Both of them sounded more nostalgic now than ever. When both songs started, there was a different kind of buzz coming from the audience. Brandon Boyd sounded great on vocals, and the band seemed to be having a great time. The entire band sounded great. “Pardon Me” had the Utah First Amp crowd singing with full-throated voices, as I’m sure they knew that we were at the end of the night. Incubus left the stage, and as many bands are beginning to do, did not return for an encore. Even though they didn’t return, the show ended perfectly. It was a great night celebrating “Morning View”.
