Rainbow Kitten Surprise’s ethereal performance at The Wellmont Theater in Montclair, NJ on the Bones Tour 2026 | Photos & Review

April 23, 2026 Leave a comment

Amid the first leg of The Bones Tour in support of their fourth studio album, bones, (2025), American alternative-rock band Rainbow Kitten Surprise filled the sold-out New Jersey venue with a wide array of concertgoers, from those in colorful outfits to concert black, ranging in all ages, from young children to their grandparents, all united by one thing: the music.


Starting the night, alternative-rock band Common People took the stage, touring in support of their then-upcoming debut EP Games. The Los Angeles group performed the entire new project, beginning with their indie-rock track “Thank You,” January single “Rain,” and ending with their latest single, “Don’t Fall.” Common People also performed standout covers, including The Pixies iconic single “​​Where Is My Mind.”

Rainbow Kitten Surprise dominated the stage with a dynamic 24-song set, hitting the ground running by exploring their whole discography, starting with the powerful bones (2025) track “Hell Nah,” 2020 single “Our Song,” followed by How To: Friend, Love Freefall (2018) track “Hide.” 

As an active Alt Nation listener, I was particularly excited to hear RKS Alt-18 hit “Dang” after months of rooting for the track to climb the weekly countdown. It’s incredible how frontwoman Ela Melo sounds the same as she does on the studio recordings… it was incredible to hear the songs I’ve been listening to on the radio for years come to life right before my eyes (and ears). 

The North Carolina band performed a substantial set spanning over a decade of music, ranging anywhere from their earliest tunes “Shameful Company” and “Hey Pretty Momma” from their debut record, Seven + Mary (2013), “Cocaine Jesus,” “Goodnight Chicago,” and “All’s Well That Ends” from RKS (2015), and “Holy War,” “Painkillers” (my personal favorites) from How to: Friend, Love, Freefall (2018), to tracks from their latest projects, like “Superstar” from Love Hate Music Box (2024), and “Friendly Fire,” “Texas Hold’em,” “Tropics,” and the title track from bones (2025). 

Alongside Melo played Darrick “Bozzy” Keller on rhythm guitar, Ethan Goodpaster on lead guitar, Jess Haney on drums, each a powerful musician who made the magic happen for nearly two hours straight. One of the highlights of the night was when the core-four performed their acoustic song “First Class” amid Melo’s stripped-back versions of “Texas Hold’em” and “Hey Pretty Momma,” making for a calm, intimate break in the set before the powerful ending. 

Completing their set with album closer “Tropics” and quintessential track “It’s Called: Freefall,” the band had me wondering when I would have the chance to see them again before they even left the stage!

The humans of RKS are truly talented musicians with a one-of-a-kind, demanding stage presence… Needless to say, Rainbow Kitten Surprise is the real deal. Their discography has played on loop in my days following the performance, leaving me hopeful that the rock band will return to the Montclair area again on their next tour! 

Since their performance in Montclair, RKS has released their first single of 2026, “Sixteen,” now available on streaming platforms. 

Rainbow Kitten Surprise will continue The Bones Tour across Europe and North America beginning in May and continuing through September 2026. Tickets to the remaining dates are available here! 

Rainbow Kitten Surprise’s The Wellmont Theater, Montclair, NJ, 3/13/26 Setlist:

  1. Hell Nah
  2. Our Song
  3. Hide
  4. Dang
  5. When It Lands
  6. Holy War
  7. Devil Like Me
  8. All’s Well That Ends
  9. Painkillers
  10. Friendly Fire
  11. Matchbox
  12. Shameful Company
  13. Goodnight Chicago
  14. Cocaine Jesus
  15. Heart
  16. Texas Hold’em
  17. Hey Pretty Momma
  18. First Class
  19. Superstar
  20. Run
  21. bones
  22. Wasted
  23. Tropics
  24. It’s Called: Freefall

Photos & Review by Emily McCormack 

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

February 22, 2026 Leave a comment

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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Grayscale kept the Wellmont Theater alive with breathtaking performance | 9/12/25 | Photos & Review

September 26, 2025 Leave a comment

Often dubbed one of my personal favorite things to come out of Philadelphia, Grayscale have been a riveting force in the alt-rock scene since their formation in 2016. Consisting Collin Walsh, Andrew Kyne, Dallas Molster and Nick Veno, the four-piece released their emotionally compelling fourth studio album The Hart in January. The band previously hit the road this year for an Australian headline tour and as support for Mayday Parade’s Cheers For 20 Years Tour in the spring. 

Now, Grayscale joins Our Last Night for The Final Tour across North America alongside Wind Walkers. As someone who has been listening to Grayscale since high school and went to college 10 minutes from the Wellmont Theater, seeing the band so close to home was everything I could’ve ever dreamed of. 

The night kicked off with Wind Walkers, a vibrant post-hardcore and alternative metal band from central Massachusetts. I’ve been casually listening to the band for a little over a year now, but their live energy blew me away. “Drowning Hymns” and “Bodybag” are two of my favorite tracks from Wind Walkers and hearing them live elevated them in a way I can’t even describe. The band was a lot of fun to watch on stage and I’m excited for their upcoming EP I Don’t Belong Here. 

Grayscale followed shortly after and, as always, delivered a killer set. Opening with “Kept Me Alive,” the Philly rockers showed the crowd that they were in for one hell of a 45 minutes. I’ve been lucky enough to catch the group on tour twice now and Walsh’s vocals have immediately sent chills down my spine the second he picks up the mic both times. His voice especially shines through on “Through the Landslide” and “Talking In My Sleep,” showcasing his incredible range. 

The first older song of the night was “Dirty Bombs,” a fun track from their 2021 album UMBRA. This one in particular was a highlight of this night for me. Getting to sing along to every word and look around to see others in the crowd doing the same felt so healing. Grayscale also played “Fever Dream” from their 2017 debut album “Adornment.” This song is always a treat live, especially when you hear how loud the audience gets at the “So sit down, shut off / I don’t know how I let you lead so long” part. 

After listening to Grayscale for almost 8 years, finally getting to hear one of my favorite songs of theirs truly took the cake for the best part of this night. When I saw my first Grayscale show at The Stone Pony Summer Stage back in May, they had skipped over “In Violet” on the setlist for a special surprise performance of “Mum II.” Being able to finally hear this one live after so many years was a beautiful experience and I even found myself in one of the few mosh pits during their set for it. I’m not kidding when I say that this song was on almost every single Spotify playlist I made from the ages of 14 to 18 (and still is scattered amongst a few I listen to daily). 

Between songs, Walsh took the time to make some funny comments and express his gratitude to Our Last Night for taking the band on this tour. My personal favorite moment was when he asked the crowd if Montclair was Jets or Giants territory before exclaiming that it doesn’t matter and “Go Birds!” in honor of their home team the Eagles. He also acknowledged how they’re a bit out of place on the lineup of heavier artists, to which their solution was to perform an epic cover of Van Halen’s “Panama.” 

They ended their portion of the night with the closing track and lead single from The Hart, “Not Afraid To Die.” This song live is so special for so many reasons. From its beautifully motivating message to its cinematic production, Grayscale put their heart and soul into this track and it shows every time they perform it. “Not Afraid To Die” still hits so hard even two years after its release and remains as a dazzling finale to their live shows. 

While I’m not as familiar with or as big of a fan of Our Last Night, their energy on stage blew me away. The post-hardcore band first popped into the scene in 2004 and has since built a massive discography that blends re-imagined covers of popular songs and their own stellar original music. They kicked off their set with a cover of Gracie Abrams’ “That’s So True” and I could feel the entirety of the Wellmont Theater come alive for the band. 

While the band announced they’d be halting touring to spend more time with their families and focus on new music, Our Last Night presented an energetic and bittersweet final show in New Jersey on the 12th. The Final Tour wraps up on Friday, September 26th in Nashville, TN at Ryman Auditorium.

Review & Photography by Amber Bintliff

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