Kristofer Shadows
On Thursday, September 14th, San Antonio’s own Nothing More arrived in Dallas on the 5th stop of their North America tour in support of their 6th studio album, Spirit. Since the album’s release in October 2022, tonight was their 126th performance making stops literally all over the world. It is fair to mention that the timeline on these performances started in May of last year, and I could spend the next hour just writing about the corners of the globe they’ve traveled, but that’s not important.
What is important is that these guys, after 20 years of pounding the pavement and racking up countless miles, showed up at The Factory in Deep Ellum and put on a performance with the white-hot intensity of an opening night. Support acts included Post Profit from Longview, Texas, Hyro the Hero from Houston, Lacey Sturm who grew up in Arlington, Texas, and Dead Poet Society from Boston. As a Texan, I give big props to Nothing More for giving Texas talent a platform to show their stuff, and they did… big time.
First up was Post Profit, comprised of Matt Jackson, Nick Hawner, and Zach Hicks. The layout was exactly as you would expect or want from a straightforward, hard-rocking metal band: no special lighting, no cheesy banner backdrop… just dudes cranking out a wall of distortion and melodic chaos that would make any headbanger giddy. They blazed through their five-song set, which included their breakout hit “Same Sad Song” and their last release “Cancel Culture.” Their explosive energy was the perfect start and set the perfect tone for the remainder of the evening.
Next up was Hyron Louis Fenton, Jr, better known as Hyro the Hero. His first studio album Birth, School, Work, Death was released in 2011. Back then, his sound leaned more towards a hip-hop feel with an edgier, harder vibe with less FL Studios software and more double bass drum pedals. His freshman effort was so strong that Hyro and his band were invited to perform at the world-famous Download Music Festival in historic Donington Park, England and he left the weekend with a festival record. Here’s what happened… after his first performance on Friday evening, the event organizer and promoter Andy Copping invited the band to perform on Saturday night on the main stage with legends Wu-Tang Clan and again on Sunday for an acoustic performance on the Jäegermeister stage, making Hyro the first and only music act to perform on all three Download stages in the same year. That festival mark stands to this day.
Knowing this, I was excited to see why and I found out: Hyro and his band opened their set like a “Hyro Bomb” (like hydrogen bomb; see what I did there?)! Through the years, his sound has moved more towards a nu-metal drive with Zach de la Rocha vocal cadence which totally works, but the intensity of movement and how he prowls the stage as if he’s devouring the energy from the crowd was absolutely contagious. His latest release Bound For Glory, which actually dropped on the evening of this show, includes collaborations with artists like David Draiman, Chad Gray, and Brandon Saller. I’m fighting myself from turning this into an album review, but let’s just say it’s worthy of a strong one.
Third up were four boys from Bean-town who call themselves Dead Poet Society. They’ve been around since 2013 and were formed while attending the Berklee College of Music. These guys crushed it on stage. To describe their sound, the early aughts hard-to-alt rock influences are very much there. To put them in a specific category though would be unfair. When listening to their music, I hear a little Muse, a little Death Cab, a sprinkle of Weezer, a touch of Wolfmother, the edge of SoaD, and with a little tempo could lean towards Red Jumpsuit. I know… that’s a lot! But what would you expect from dudes who studied music theory at a world-renowned music school? But I digress… the best part of their set, besides their music, was the response from the crowd – made up of new converts like me and a legion of their faithful following – who were flat out IN TO IT. So, so good.
Next, was Lacey Sturm of Flyleaf fame. When I heard she was on the bill, I really had a “Behind The Music / Whatever Happened To…” cloud that came over me. Since her days with Flyleaf, the only music she’s released in long form was Life Screams in 2016 which could have very easily been a Flyleaf album due to its sonic similarities. What she has been occupied with is authoring three Christian faith-based books, so creatively speaking she’s been busy. Back in the day, I caught a few Flyleaf shows and was always taken by Lacey’s presence. Small in stature at five feet even, and an almost goth-like dramatic vibe with her performance, she would open that mouth and a roar like a lion would erupt. Of course, that was a long time ago and quite a bit of time has passed since “I’m Sick” and “All Around me”… 18 years in fact.
But you know, the more things change, the more they stay the same. As the lights went down and moody blue stage lighting came up, Lacey appeared on stage to a frenzied reaction, and it was 2005 all over again. Her 12-song set ran about an hour and included her solo songs like “Vanity,” “Rot” and “Reconcile,” an original rendition of The Police’s “Roxanne”, and concluded with “All Around Me.” During the set, she shared a testimony of when she was 16 years old and hated everything and everyone, including herself – then she found God and her faith saved her. I found her story to be not only sincere but also courageous. Regardless of personal beliefs, I support anyone of influence with a platform to use their celebrity in promoting a positive outlook on life, and the crowd responded positively. Although not as energetic as the previous three bands, she made up for it with intensity and conviction.
And finally, the main event: Nothing More.
In 2011, I had the privilege of sharing the stage with Nothing More at The Bandwagon in Fort Worth. Back then, like the rest of us, they were a band just trying to be seen and heard. YouTube and MySpace ruled the cyber landscape, so their music was pretty obscure even though they had been around for 8 years and I wasn’t totally familiar with their sound. But even though they were still a “bar” band, their show was really elaborate, having multiple floor toms on stage and a choreographed drum line sort of routine with the other band members.
Frontman Jonny Hawkins once described their show as “some sort of twisted rock n’ roll adaptation of Blue Man Group, if Blue Man Group ever opened for Rage Against the Machine.” That sounds about right. I remember thinking this band is going to be huge one day and maybe I’d be able to tell an “I Remember When…” story to whomever would listen. Not to sound cliché but they just had that “it” factor. I was right. From 2011 in a smokey bar in front of roughly 25 people to 2023 at The Factory in Dallas before a capacity crowd of several thousand, Nothing More was nothing less than an absolute spectacle in the most spectacular way.
Drawing off the strength of last year’s release of Spirit, the band opened with their hit song, also called “Spirit,” then rolled right into crowd favorites “Do You Really Want It,” “Tired of Winning / Ships in the Night,” and the power ballad “You Don’t Know What Love Means.” To catch their breath, Jonny addressed the crowd by asking, “Thank you for coming out on a … Wednesday night. Is it Wednesday, right? Thursday??? Sorry… but it’s a work night, right?” It was genuine moment of levity for a band who has literally spent the last 16 months on the road and air bouncing from one city, state and country to another. He also announced that they are working on a new album which they hope to release by the end of the year, which led to their next song from that LP called “If It Doesn’t Hurt” followed by “Don’t Stop,” and “Best Times,” during which Lacey joined the band on stage for a duet.
Ending the show with “This Is the Time (Ballast),” which was the song that really broke this band in 2014 when it hit #1 on the Mediabase Active Rock chart and #2 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart. Saving the best for last, Jonny Hawkins (who was actually Nothing More’s original drummer) brought two floor toms into the crowd and while fans held the drums up to stage level, he proceeded to do a brief drum routine to end the night.
If you’ve never been to a Nothing More show, it would be a grave injustice to use the words energetic and intense as descriptions. What I can say is that musically they are as tight as you would expect from four guys who are pretty much together 24/7 every day of their lives. Guitarist Mark Vollelunga, bassist Daniel Oliver, and drummer Ben Anderson are exceptional musicians, and Jonny Hawkins is as charismatic and strong a lead singer as anyone in the business. Their live performance and loyal fanbase is what every band starting out aspires to have and experience, and their music heard live gives me the same goosebumps as if it was my first time hearing it on an album.
As a fellow San Antonian, I am proud of Nothing More, what they are, and what they continue to be: one of the baddest and best-performing rock bands in the world.
Check out our concert photos of Nothing More below:
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