The fans at House of Blues in Orlando, Florida were “probably the most insane audience” of Nothing More’s Spirits Tour, according to the band’s Instagram.
Starting and ending within the same month, the second North American leg of the Spirits Tour was fleeting. With a lineup featuring support from Post Profit, Hyro the Hero, and Dead Poet Society, Orlando was lucky to be included on the short list of dates.
Fellow Texas rock band Post Profit was the first to perform. As soon as the music started, one thing was clear – this show was set to be loud. Both the volume and energy levels felt like they had been raised a few notches in comparison to other shows that have passed through the House of Blues. In a short 30 minutes, the band ripped through their set, which included tracks “Haunt Me” and recent single “Cancer Culture.”
Hyro the Hero saw the power brought by the openers and doubled it. Right away, Hyro set the tone for his set by jumping, kicking, and throwing the microphone as high as he could. During “Worst Behavior,” Hyro hopped down from the stage and crowd surfed to the center of the floor to join the mosh pit. Upon returning to the stage, Hyro announced that he had been “banned from Disney World.” Multiple times he referenced the fact that he couldn’t play at House of Blues anymore and jokingly told the crowd to stay as still as possible. If this was the last time he would play at the Disney Springs venue, it was a memorable end. Dead Poet Society kept the show rolling with the third and final opening slot. After starting the set with the 2014 throwback “Sound and Silence,” the Boston rock band focused on newer releases including the recent double “Running in Circles/HURT.” Later in the set, vocalist Jack Underkofler did venture off of the stage to crowd surf, though there was no mention of a ban. As the final set change began, the crowd became more excited with each prop that rolled out onto the stage. Multiple specialized kits were placed for each member of the band to use in the signature drum solo that was sure to come later in the set. As the lights dimmed, a recording of “Mr. Sandman” by The Chordettes morphed into the titular track from the Spirits album. Mark Vollelunga (guitar), Ben Anderson (drums), and Daniel Oliver (bass) emerged from the side of the stage along with a painted Jonny Hawkins (vocals). The red and black body paint has become a uniform for Hawkins who dons a different pattern across his torso each show.Matthew of Post Profit joined the band for “Don’t Stop” before fan favorite “Jenny” marked the halfway point of the set. “VALHALLA” brought with it the first drum solo along with a massive reaction from the crowd and “Let ‘em Burn” and “Go to War” kept the mosh pit going before tearjerker “Fadein/Fadeout” brought out the cell phone lights.
When it’s done, it’s done, Hawkins warned, reminding the audience that Nothing More doesn’t do encores – this was their last chance to go all out. The handful of crowd surfers that had been steadily present throughout the set multiplied as “Ocean Floor” led into “This Is the Time (Ballast),” one of the band’s most popular tracks. The crowd knew what was coming, and they were ready. The two single drums situated on each side of the stage were lifted off their stands and brought down to the barricade, where Hawkins continued the final drum solo standing at the rail while the crowd held up the drums. Oliver and Vollelunga joined him at the barricade where they threw out picks and sticks before saying their good nights. The show ended, literally, with a bang of the drums, and left fans with a night they’re sure to remember.
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