A sold-out crowd packed the House of Blues in Orlando, FL, to see Nothing More return for their 2024 Carnal Tour.
Almost exactly one year after playing the Orlando venue on their Spirits Tour, Nothing More found themselves once again at the House of Blues with new music, a new set, and a (mostly) new lineup.
Returning as opening act was Post Profit who took the stage just before 6 PM to a warm welcome from the crowd. Many fans who were also in attendance for the Spirits Tour were happy to see the Texas rock band back, matching the energy of vocalist and guitarist Matt Jackson as he head-banged across the stage to tracks from the group’s 2023 EP Self Defeater. The growth Post Profit has seen this past year was made crystal clear when Jackson introduced “Two Toxic,” a standout track that has recently seen radio play on Sirius XM’s Octane. The floor jumped and danced along until the closing track “Cancer Culture.” When asked to deliver “absolute chaos” for the last song, fans delivered, leaving them with a buzz that held them over through the first set break.
On stage, three large screens cut through the now dark room with a black and white video set to Nat King Cole’s “Orange Colored Sky.” As the film appeared to burn away, From Ashes to New ran into view, opening with the 2023 hit single “Nightmare.” Red and blue strobes burst across the stage as vocalists Danny Case and Matt Brandyberry jumped onto a riser that sat front and center, framed by CO2 cannons blasting plumes of fog. The crowd screamed along with the band’s short but electrifying set, which included a mix of new releases and older fan favorites. The most recent release from the band, 2024 single “Barely Breathing” featuring Against The Current, nearly rivaled their oldest hit, closing track “Through It All.” The popularity of this year’s releases for tonight’s lineup cannot be mentioned without bringing up the final openers, Set It Off. Only one day before the show, the Florida rock band dropped their third single of 2024, “Creating Monsters.” While quite a few songs have been released to great success since their 2022 album Elsewhere, including “Fake Ass Friends” and “Evil People,” the instant and positive reception of Friday’s release cannot be understated. Of course, the older tracks were shown as much love as always, with fans screaming along to “Wolf In Sheep’s Clothing” and “I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead,” during which vocalist Cody Carson and drummer Maxx Danziger swapped places. When the lights changed to a shade of blue matching the 2014 album Duality, cheers erupted as the crowd clapped along with “Why Worry,” followed by “Punching Bag” to close the set. One last time, the house lights dimmed as a recording of the intro track “/ CARNAL /” began to play over the speakers. Light poles scattered around the stage pulsed until the opening notes of “House on Sand” were punctuated with blasting strobes from the back of the stage and the show began. CARNAL lead single “If It Doesn’t Hurt” and “Let Em Burn” kept the momentum going and had fans dancing and screaming along across the floor, balcony, and even on the stairs.Among the sold-out crowd, there was a noticeable population of young fans, some of whom sat on the staircases to see over a comparatively tall crowd. Before the show, the band’s social media shared hand-drawn cards, presumably gifted by the next generation of music lovers. To see these kids share with their families such appreciation for the music, along with the band’s reciprocation, was a wholesome representation of the atmosphere of Nothing More’s crowd. Fans sang along with songs old and new, from “STUCK” to “SPIRITS” to “Jenny.” The enthusiasm was palpable. “Ocean Floor/This Is the Time (Ballast)” was, as always, a strong close to the set.
While the band does not play a traditional encore, the end of the last track was far from the end of the show. As the house lights turned on vocalist Jonny Hawkins climbed onto the barricade for an extended drum outro, the second of the night and a staple of Nothing More shows. Fans near the front of the pit held up two large drums Hawkins played while guitarist Mark Vollelunga, bassist Daniel Oliver, and drummer Ben Anderson joined with their own kits from stage. After the final beats were hit the band made their way backstage to the sounds of Wham!’s “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go,” but not before taking a moment to thank the fans.
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