Review by James Stamper:
I am going to start this article by saying if you missed this show, you missed one of the most spectacular shows I’ve seen in 2019. Absolutely outstanding!
I arrived in Huntington, West Virginia knowing I was about to watch 2 amazing bands bring the roof off Big Sandy Superstore Arena! These metalheads were ready for a night filled with magic and headbanging! With that being said, let’s talk about the show.
First up is Nothing More. WOW. They came out with such raw aggression! Something I want to point out is lead vocalist, Jonny Hawkins, came out with no shirt on as he usually does, with half of his body painted black and the other half normal. That stood out to me. I never had seen someone do this before. That is what makes a band interesting. A band willing to experiment and be their true selves. But moving on, Jonny had so much emotion and power in his voice that night! Not only was his voice powerful, but the band that was behind him was mind-blowing! Doing songs such as Let ‘em Burn, Fade In/Fade Out, Go to War and one of their biggest songs Jenny, the fans were soaking it up like a sponge! They wanted more and more from Nothing More!
Nothing More is Jonny Hawkins (lead locals), Mark Vollelunga (guitar, backing vocals), Daniel Oliver (bass, keyboards, backing vocals), and Ben Anderson (drums).
Nothing More puts on an amazing show. From Jonny Hawkins riding on a scorpion, (yes you read that right, a Scorpion), to Jonny, Mark and Daniel doing a bass solo on a multi-string bass. This is an act you must see! What are you waiting for? Support this tremendous act!
Now, it was time for the main event of the evening, Ghost! Setting the mood before appearing, they dimmed the lights with eerie opera/orchestral music over the PA. It was already a thrilling experience for the metalheads ready to rock with Ghost!
All at once, the music stops, and this chilling intro starts echoing throughout the arena. Ghost had a black curtain in front of the stage blocking the view behind. Then a bright red light appears where Cardinal Copia usually stands. He was letting everyone know he was there, ready to entertain us all.
Then starts the Ashes introduction that is off Ghost’s latest album Prequelle. Midway through, the curtain drops, and you see the nameless Ghouls ready to put on an amazing performance. The Ashes introduction led into their hit song Rats just like it does on Prequelle.
Huntington, West Virginia was loud! Not one soul was standing still. Everyone in the place was up on their feet dancing, throwing horns and headbanging! But that’s not all. Ghost also had some pyro for the metalheads! I’m talking explosions and fire shooting up from the ground! In my opinion, it was a bonus to the show, making it much more exciting.
Ghost did some of their biggest hits at this show including Cirice, Mummy Dust, Year Zero, He Is, among other “fire” songs! Of course, Ghost was not going to let Huntington, West Virginia go without hearing one more song! Ghost performed their Grammy Award-winning hit Square Hammer as the encore!
In conclusion, this show was overall amazing. Both Nothing More and Ghost did phenomenal jobs. Both bands were tight, didn’t miss one beat or no sour notes hit. Everything was spot on and I was so fortunate to have been able to attend a show like this. I hope to be able to see more of both bands in the future. I know I will never be disappointed, neither will you!
All photos by Tom Biggs
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