The 'Scorpion' Makes An Appearance At Jannus Live

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All Photos By Travis Failey Photography

Ten years ago, some friends of mine went to the Orpheum to see the super group ADRENALINE MOB with Mike Orlando, Russell Allen, Jon Moyer, and drummer Mike Portnoy. This was a very memorable show not only because ADRENALINE MOB killed it but because the crowd at the Orpheum got to witness an up-and-coming band from San Antonio called NOTHING MORE.

Everyone that I spoke to had not seen the band before but were blown away by them and many including myself bought their 3 song EP that included “Salem” and I believe “Christ Copyright”. Both songs have been staples in their set with “Salem” usually concluding their show with all four members playing drums at their spots on the stage. This was the first time that we had seen this before by any band and not only this but their performance in total left a lasting impression. Not very long after that, NOTHING MORE was invited by DWP to perform on their festival circuit and after their breakout performance at Aftershock in San Francisco, the band was on their way. They then received consistent airplay on Sirius XM and on terrestrial radio stations across the States.

Fast forward almost ten years to the day with three full length releases and many singles, NOTHING MORE brought their Spirits Tour to Jannus Live on a beautiful Sunday Night in St. Petersburg. Usually on a Sunday night, most shows in our area are never filled to capacity. This was not the case as the ground level general admission and the upstairs VIP area was packed almost to capacity.

THOUSAND BELOW from San Diego opened the show with a brief 7 song set that included “Hell Finds You Everywhere”, “Sabotage” and closed with “Sinking Me”. THOUSAND BELOW did a good job getting the crowd primed for the main support act in CROWN THE EMPIRE. Singer and founding member James Deberg related with the crowd and the women especially appreciated his vocals and his swagger. They are a young band on the scene and its good to see NOTHING MORE give these guys a shot on this tour. It will be interesting to see if they are able to gain some traction now and in the future.

After a brief stage change, CROWN THE EMPIRE from Dallas strolled on stage to a roaring blast of applause from the crowd. Vocalist Andy Leo Rockhold came out in a black with a red roses button down shirt and black jeans and my first thought was this guy is going to pass out from the Florida heat. Well, he didn’t pass out, but he was passed other things during their set including shots and few joints from the crowd using the photographers in the pit as middlemen. This was one of the moments I said to myself that “I’ve never seen this before”.

CROWN opened up with the title track from their most recent release In “Dogma” and kept their foot on the metal core gas until slowing it down with their radio hit in “Blurry”. This song showed of Rockhold’s range while the other songs in their set like “Immortalize” and “Machines” highlighted the bass playing and heavy unclean backing vocals of Hayden Tree.

Crowd surfing was in full effect during “Zero” and “What Am I" and I must give a big shout out to security for handling this really well and making sure everyone was unharmed. Unfortunately others in the crowd weren’t fairing as well as security and a medical team helped some fans get assistance after they passed out and collapsed. These guys are true pros as most have been working at the facility since I started attending shows there many years ago.

Prior to starting “Another Life” Rockhold told the crowd “Thank you for all the shots and the weed, this is exactly what I wanted out of Florida” which of course got a huge pop from the crowd. The band then finished with “Dancing With The Dead” that pummeled us non-stop with aggressive screams and vocals from both Tree and Rockhold. Even though their music may be too brutal at times for some, if you enjoy their type of music, they should be on your playlist because they do what they do very well.

After an extended break due to a bit of technical difficulties with “The Scorpion”, the CHORDETTES’s classic “Mr. Sandman" played over the P.A. system. This was by far one of the most interesting songs that I’ve seen a band take the stage as NOTHING MORE also opened with the title track to their new release in “Spirits”.

The album was inspired by the philosophies of Alan Watts and Carl Jung and an introspective look at the results of being isolated due to the pandemic. The response from NOTHING MORE’s fans and people who were not familiar with the band previously has been fantastic, not only from the airplay they have received but also by the looking out at the thousands of fans at Jannus.

NOTHING MORE proceeded with their very well paced set with “Do You Really Want It” off of the very successful The Stories We Tell Ourselves and then back to the new release in “Tired of Winning”.

Jonny Hawkins addressed the crowd and thanked them for coming out and packing the place prior to “You Don’t Know What Love Means” which was rereleased by them with Lacey Sturm from FLYLEAF pitching in on vocals.

I have heard this song on Sirius numerous times, but it didn’t have the effect it did until I heard it live. I say this because this song truly showed the maturity and songwriting abilities of the band. There weren’t any backing tracks or vocals or computers needed, just 4 guys playing their instruments as one seamless unit. I’ve seen this development before in many bands but the one that stands out was TESLA. I’ve watched both bands grow from hungry youngsters to established and successful entities in their respected genres.This song also truly showed off Hawkins’ vocal abilities which were on full display throughout the set.

He too has grown as a vocalist and as a front man and this was evident on one of their biggest hits in “Jenny”. This song has been well discussed in the past and has a huge effect on many people as it deals with personal feelings and experiences with loved ones who suffer from mental illness.

Another song in the set where it was obvious that it affected people was “Fade In/Fade Out". You could see people wiping the tears from their eyes in the crowd. Anyone who has experienced parental loss can relate to this track and It’s a tough one to listen to at times. NOTHING MORE concluded this song with a monstrous instrumental crescendo to flip the mood a bit and brought levity and hope with “I’ll Be Ok”.

NOTHING MORE didn’t do the usual encore deal by walking off stage and doing that whole played out deal but instead started “Ocean Floor” which directly led into the song that broke them to the radio listening public in “Ballast” (This Is The Time)". Controlled madness ensued in the crowd as crowd surfing and some moshing was happening but what really got the crowd in a frenzy was Hawkins and guitarist Mark Vollelunga jumping in the crowd and playing drums. Another moment I’ve never witnessed at a show before.

As the crowd dispersed from the venue, I took a moment as I usually do to just take in the faces of the fans and listen to a bit of their conversations. All of them had smiles on their faces but I did hear a conversation about questioning why “Salem” or “Christ Copyright" wasn’t included in the set. But those conversations happen after every show. To me it didn’t matter though as we got to witness a band that is a true sum of its parts with energy in spades, and that their rise and fandom should continue as long as the 4 of them continue doing what they do best and “Don’t Stop”.

For tour dates near you, go to https://nothingmore.net/

Setlist:

• "Mr. Sandman" (PA)
• "SPIRITS"
• "Do You Really Want It?"
• "Tired of Winning"
• "Ships in the Night"
• "YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT LOVE MEANS"
• "Best Times"
• "Jenny"
• Drum Solo
• "Let 'em Burn"
• "Go to War"
• "FACE IT"
• "Fadein/Fadeout"
• "I'll Be OK"
• "Ocean Floor"
• "This Is the Time (Ballast)"