Nothing More kicks off the second leg of the Carnal Nature Tour at the Wellmont Theater, NJ 2/19/26 | Photos & Review

San Antonio rock band Nothing More returned to The Wellmont Theater in an epic kick-off to the new year. 

Embarking on the second leg of their Carnal Nature Tour in support of their latest album, CARNAL (2024), Nothing More filled the New Jersey venue with a sea of black clothing and an audience excited to hear some intense songs, sweat it out to screaming, and vibe with like-minded people. 

The four-band bill was badass from start to finish, introducing the crowd to strong musical talent and dominating metal vocals throughout the night. 

Starting the show, Columbus native Doobie opened the night with a standout rock-hip-hop vibe. In support of his latest project, Give ‘Em Hell Until You Get To Heaven (2025), Doobie matched his cleverly named album title with equally memorable song titles: I particularly enjoyed “Early Bird Gets the Whiskey,” “Beauty in the Boogeyman,” and aptly named “Hate Song.” 

Metalcore band Archers followed, performing their top hits, including “Made For Love” and “Perfect Strangers,” as well as their brand new single “The Dirt,” which seemed like a perfect introduction to a new audience. 

The final opening act was Austin rock band Catch Your Breath, who continued to ramp up the mood. Supporting their latest singles “Lost” and “Dark,” the alternative group performed both their latest songs and tracks from their 2023 debut album Shame On Me, including what I found to be the most memorable song of their set, “21 Gun Salute.” 

After a couple of hours of incredible acts opening the night, it was time for Nothing More to take the stage. 

I was particularly excited to hear new tracks from their latest album, CARNAL, and to have the band debut their newest work to the Wellmont audience since their last performance in 2022. They started with a bang by beginning with the high-energy opening song “HOUSE OF SAND,” the song I saw posted on half the audience’s social media immediately following the show. 

Continuing the love for the tour album, Nothing More showed off more of their latest tracks in performing standout songs “ANGEL SONG,” “FREEFALL,” “STUCK,” and my personal favorite, “IF IT DOESN’T HURT.” 

The four-piece played songs throughout their discography, giving seasoned fans performances of hits “Jenny,” “Ocean Floor,” “This Is The Time (Ballast)” from their 2014 self-titled record, “Let ‘em Burn,” “Don’t Stop,” “Go To War,” “Fade In / Fade Out,” from The Stories We Tell Ourselves (2017), and the more recent title track, “SPIRITS,” from 2022. 

The band even participated in the audience-song-pick trend, keeping the setlist keepers on their toes with a crowd-voted pick. This night, Nothing More gave the room a choice between their songs “Mr. MTV,” “SPIRITS,” and a Nine Inch Nails cover… While I must admit, I was curious about which NIN song they would perform, I was not disappointed when the room ultimately cheered loudest for the 2022 title track “SPIRITS.” 

One highlight of the night was when vocalist Jonny Hawkins invited Archers frontman Nathanael Pulley to the stage for a stunning performance of “FREEFALL,” followed by one of many sick instrumental breaks.

Speaking of highlights: Nothing More first caught my attention with their performance at the 2017 Alternative Press Music Awards, featuring what I discovered is known as The Scorpion Tail, a larger-than-life, sick-AF mega-instrument (my personal description of what my 15-year-old self witnessed) that was nothing short of thought-provoking. 

Ever since, I have looked forward to seeing what innovative new idea the band has to offer: While their latest performance at the Wellmont Theater did not include the 14-foot-tall machine in 2026, Hawkins, guitarist Mark Vollelunga, and bassist Daniel Oliver joined forces (and instruments) to assemble an interesting guitar-meets-bass-meets-drum super instrument that each member managed to play simultaneously (this was seemingly put together a Scorpion-Tail-looking-base, so the vibe was still there). 

While this may have sparked a few question marks among the crowd, this was no doubt an eye-catching moment of the set and had me wondering how they came up with that!

Nothing More finished their incredible set with their anthemic song “This Is The Time (Ballast),” an iconic track for the band, and, of course, a fun full-circle moment for me since it was one of the first songs of theirs I heard nearly a decade ago! 

Coming back four years after seeing them for the first time at the same venue in 2022, I am appreciative that Nothing More treats New Jersey so well. With a memorable performance from years ago, there was no way I was going to miss this show…

Truthfully, I was hoping for another chance to see the innovative Scorpion Tail in action and to its fullest extent; the band’s true talent and stellar setlist made up for the scaled-down spectacle. Would I come back for a potential Nothing More 2030 performance in Montclair? Once I wrap my head around such an absurd number, the answer would be yes!

Other venues worldwide don’t have to wait much longer, since Nothing More will continue their world tour through August 2026. Tickets to the remaining dates are available here! 

Nothing More’s The Wellmont Theater, Montclair, NJ, 2/19/26 Setlist:

1. HOUSE ON SAND
2. ANGEL SONG
3. Let ‘em Burn
4. IF IT DOESN’T HURT
5. Don’t Stop
6. Go To War
7. FREEFALL
8. SPIRITS (Audience Voted Song)
9. Jenny
10. STUCK
11. Fade In / Fade Out
12. Ocean Floor
13. This Is The Time (Ballast)

Photos & Review byEmily McCormack

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