It was a glorious night of rock in Clive, Iowa! The Spirits North American tour rolled into the Horizon Events Center, bolstered by an amazing line-up of Texas mainstays Nothing More and Crown The Empire, along with San Diego post-hardcore rockers Thousand Below. On the stage first, vocalist James Deberg and company jumped around the massive stage, exciting a packed crowd. For a band just a little over six years old, they have made a huge impact on the scene. Having toured with the likes of Miss May I, The Devil Wears Prada, Of Mice and Men, and so many more, they are used to the spotlight that comes with a massive tour like this. Along with Deberg, Thousand Below consists of two Joshs, Josh Thomas on guitar and Josh Billimoria on bass, as well as drummer Max Santoro. It was amazing to see how well the band interacted with the crowd; Deberg was especially good at making every single person feel seen. Although they only had a seven-song set, they performed like they were a headliner. When asked who had heard of Thousand Below before, almost everyone
enthusiastically raised their hand, and for those that didn't, it's sure that they won't forget them after the night. Crown The Empire stormed the stage next. Opening with a flurry of hits like DOGMA, The Fallout, and Black Sheep. CTE came to show the Iowans that Texas metal hits hard and fast. There wasn't a moment of silence during the 45 minutes that the band was on stage, with vocalist Andy Leo pointing this liveliness in the crowd out multiple times while also commending them for their moshpit skills. Their set contained every song that the crowd wanted to hear and more, which was obvious by the deafening screams of lyrics that would have rendered even the best earplugs useless. This was also a special night for the band, as they were able to celebrate their merch manager on his birthday by bringing him out to play bass for their final song of the night, Dancing With The Dead. Boy, did this guy have some bass chops as well! He crab-walked all over the stage and was a giant ball of energy, giving Hayden Tree a run for his money and possibly a little worry about his job security. On the stage last, the band everyone was there to see, Nothing More. The band, which consists of Jonny Hawkins, Mark Vollelunga, Daniel Oliver, and Ben Anderson, is celebrating their
20th anniversary this year, and it clearly could not be seen by how full of life they were for more than an hour. Opening with the title track from their latest release, Spirits, Hawkins quickly made his presence felt, jumping from side to side on the stage and up and down on various platforms making sure everyone had a chance to see his luscious locks flow. The band busted through numerous songs, giving the audience no chance to breathe. Finally, before the start of Ships in the Night, Hawkins took a moment to thank the crowd for coming, giving just enough time to wind the crowd up for madness. It is impeccable to see the grasp that Hawkins and Co. hold on the audience. Having seen the band numerous times, every show is this sense of no-holds-barred, all-action fun. At the middle point of the show, Nothing More decided to turn it up with my personal favorite song, Go To War, which must be a lot of others' favorites, too, as the crowd was almost louder than Hawkins right from the start. The band continued to play hit after hit, new and old, including FACE IT and Fadein/Fadeout, before ending on This Is The Time. For a band the size of Nothing More, many would expect an encore, but Hawkins nipped that right in the bud before the final song, declaring that Nothing More does not do encores and are just there to rock, and rock they did! Although this was their last song, the band ended with something way more fun. Going right to the barricade, a jam session of heavy proportions erupted in the front row. This ended an extremely high-energy night on the highest possible note. So what does this all mean? Well, if you want to enjoy one of the best shows of your life from a great band, you might just have to see Nothing More soon!
See more photos from the night here!
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