The Carnal Nature World Tour Brings Nothing More Back to Riverside

After supporting Disturbed on their Sickness 25^th Anniversary tour, fans only got a taste of what Nothing More can bring to the table, and we were jonesing for more. Nothing More hit the road at the tail end of 2025 for the European portion of their Carnal Nature World Tour, but we American fans had to wait till the new year for the full breadth of their show. Nothing More is finally back in California and taking over the Riverside Municipal Auditorium, bringing with them Catch Your Breath, Archers, and Doobie. Nothing More is known for always selecting quality openers, so I was excited to experience this entire lineup.

Opening the night was an artist known as Doobie. Self proclaimed as somewhere between rap and rock n roll, so I was curious to see what that meant. Doobie strutted on stage with a swagger of presence, ready to perform for the fans that showed up early. Doobie learned more into rapping when performing his vocals. Finding a flow to the lyrics and riding the back beat of the drummer and DJ. But what brought the rock n roll element was his guitarists Jon Suh and Tony Earnheart. These two brought the distortion and metal edge to the music. It was a blending of genres that not many can pull off, but Doobie has managed to craft a rap metal sound that got the crowd grooving and bobbing their heads. With songs like “Worth A Shot,” “Krazy MF,” “Early Bird,” “Stone Cold,” “Mother,” “Dig Up The Hatchet,” “Hate Song,” and ending with “Boogeyman.” Doobie warmed up the crowd with a more unique sound than what the crowd may have been expecting but welcomed.

Up next was Archers from Madison, WI, who was here to bring a sound that could fill an area to the Riverside Auditorium. Lead singer Nathan Pulley has a powerful angelic voice to him that, once heard, raises the spirits of the people who are blessed to hear him live. There is a sense of levity that comes from him, even when the lyrics may get into a deeper subject. Guitarist Ben Koehler performed with the gravitas and emphatic presence that all eyes were on him, watching every chord played or note struck. The man took the time to truly take in the time he got to perform on stage and bask in the energy of the crowd. Bassist Oscar Porter was the biggest character on stage, carrying a IDGAF energy while flailing around the stage, finger picking at his axe. At one point, during a bass break, he fell into a fenty lean on stage. While drummer Grayson Mesarosh was blasting away behind the kit but refused to not be seen. As he would often stand on the drum seat to hype the crowd up, and make sure the energy is moving. Archers filled their set time with songs like “Made For Love,” “Drag Me Out,” “Say This Sober,” “The Dirt,” “Making Eyes,” “Never Enough,” “Bitter,” and ending with “Perfect Strangers.” Where Doobie warmed up the crowd, Archers were the band that got the blood boiling and ready to rock.

It was then time for Catch Your Breath, who was the band I was looking the most forward to of the bands I hadn’t seen before. They have been popping up on my Spotify Radio consistently lately, and I was ready to get to experience their music live. Vocalist Josh Mowery sounded just like he did on the record. His voice had such punch and life to it that it would worm its way into your head and force you to connect with the music. Guitarist Teddy Herrera was a melody master crafting hooks and riffs that drive the songs, while backing up Mowery on vocals to help give a fuller sound to the music. Bassist Cianan Madigan was the heartthrob of the band that would have all the girls go weak in the knees from even a glance from the man. But he wasn’t just a look, as his bass playing carried a groove and feel to it that moved the bodies in the crowd. Drummer Onell Hernandez strikes his kit with such technique that helps push the power of the music when needed and reels it back to let the song flow softer and elegant. Catch Your Breath was a highlight of the night with songs like “Savages,” “Deadly,” “Dark,” “Ghost Inside the Shell,” “Lost,” “Good in Goodbye,” “Y.S.K.W.,” “21 Gun Salute,” “Dial Tone,” and ending with “Shame On Me.” Catch Your Breath has been a solid direct support band for plenty of tours, but I am now waiting for a full headlining tour to hopefully come soon.

It was then time for our headliner with Nothing More taking the stage. Ever since I got to see them perform a song at the 2017 Loudwire Music Awards, I have been captivated by their stage presence. Each member of the band refuses to take a back seat to the other, and instead they are all giving their own star studded performance each and every night. While never stepping on each other’s (bare) feet and giving each other the moments to breathe and really shine in their own moments.

Vocalist Jonny Hawkins had unfortunately suffered from a bad case of food poisoning the previous night, and though he refused to let that stop him, we couldn’t guess how he was going to be feeling this night. As Jonny walked out in his traditional look of being shirtless, covered in paint, we knew he was feeling better. Jonny still sounded great and was able to hit us with his usual piercing vocals that radiate with such tension and power. But you could tell he was still feeling the lingering effects of the food poisoning, as his energy on stage was a little lower than most were used to seeing. Nonetheless, he fought through it as a true performer to give us a show that we would still go home remembering.

Guitarist Mark Vollelunga and bassist Daniel Oliver were giving their all to the fans with their playing and their stage energy, to pick up any slack that might be laying around. Vollelunga even jumped onto the barricade to shred right in front of the fans’ faces. Spotting a young child rocking out to the music, he made sure to make his way over there, and let the child strum a few on the guitar, and gifting him a guitar pick. While Oliver was a chaotic ball of energy. Gritting, smiling, focused, he was making expressions throughout the show, letting the tunes flow through him as a conductor for the emotion of the music. Drummer Ben Anderson plays with a bombastic sound that booms through the auditorium and gets the mosh pits circling. You can feel every stomp from the moshers in sync with the bass drum hits of Anderson.

For the entirety of Nothing More’s set, the world didn’t matter. Our problems didn’t matter. We were lost in the songs we have been spinning on repeat for years like “HOUSE OF SAND,” “ANGEL SONG,” “Let ‘em Burn.” “IF IT DOESN’T HURT,” “Don’t Stop,” “Got to War,” “FREEFALL,” “Jenny,” “Mr. MTV,” “SPIRITS,” “STUCK,” “Fade In/Fade Out,” “Ocean Floor,” and ending with “This is the Time (Ballast).” With the final song Jonny, Vallelunga, and Oliver jumped on the barricade and placed a couple of drumheads in the fans hands, as they ended with a powerhouse instrumental performance that claimed that bit of energy we could give to the band, and had the fans leaving the night happy and content.

Nothing More continues to be a standout band that I feel never gets the full attention they deserve. They have music that is uplifting, music that you can mosh and crowd surf to, music that pulls on the heartstrings about love and loss. They bring you a live show that is filled with energy, passion, and you can’t take your eyes off the stage for even a moment. The diehard fans continue to show up for the band at every show, and I hope that 2026 continues to help build their fanbase, as I want to see them grow to headline even bigger stages that they’ve already earned the right to.