Concert Recap: Nothing More's "Carnal Nature" Tour in Raleigh, NC (1/16/2026)

The beginning of the year tends to be a quiet time, with most of the month of January being a slow step back to work after the holidays and getting back into the swing of things. Last year, for example, my first concert wasn't until the beginning of February, and I didn't photograph a show until March. However, 2026 is already shaping up to be an eventful year, starting with Nothing More's "Carnal Nature" Tour already in full swing, featuring support from Catch Your Breath, Archers, and Doobie. The tour kicked off on the 15th in Silver Spring, MD, and the second show took place here in North Carolina, at the Ritz in Raleigh.

Personally, I have varying levels of familiarity with every band on the lineup, but I've made no secrets about being particularly excited about seeing Doobie live. I had the pleasure of interviewing him in December of 2024 after the release of his first rock single "Early Bird Gets the Whiskey," and spent 2025 watching his fanbase within the genre grow as he released and promoted his debut rock album ‘Give ‘Em Hell Until You Get to Heaven.’ Our first interview is still one of my favorite conversations I’ve had to this day, so when this tour got announced, I knew I wanted to do an in-person follow-up with him before the show.

Before doors opened, Doobie and his team welcomed me onto their tour bus, and we had no problems getting the interview done. It was another really fun conversation, and I enjoyed getting to ask him all about his new album and the big year he had after stepping into the rock genre. As much as I enjoy doing Zoom interviews, I always prefer to do them in-person because you can focus more on the conversation rather than worrying about internet delays or technical issues, and you can also feel the energy and excitement from the person you’re talking with. That was the case with this interview, and I can’t thank Doobie and his team enough for their time and hospitality.

Once I got inside the venue, it wasn’t long until showtime, and Doobie was the first artist to take the stage. Opening with my favorite song of his, “Until I Get to Heaven,” Doobie and his band immediately grabbed the audience’s attention and got them ready for the rest of the lineup. There was a decent amount of people who recognized him from his rap career, but for the most part, he was playing to a brand new audience that never heard of him, but he gained a ton of new fans by the end of his set. Throughout the night, I saw several people walking up to him between sets, shaking his hand and asking for selfies, and it was cool to see so many new people show support to him after this initial exposure to his music. His band is top notch too, and they all have the same level of stage presence, making for a very engaging live show. DJ Hylyte does a great job with running the samples and being a bit of a hypeman throughout the show, guitarists Jon Suh and Tony Earnheart are always moving while they’re shredding, and Matt Hannas is insanely locked in while holding down the rhythm of the songs. For a short opening set, Doobie managed to fit a good majority of his new album into the setlist, along with a surprise rock version of his rap classic “Hate Song.” It was my first time seeing him live, and it definitely won’t be my last — I had a great time watching his set, and couldn’t believe that there were still three more bands left on the bill.

Doobie Setlist:

1. Until I Get to Heaven
2. Worth a Shot
3. Krazy MF
4. Early Bird Gets the Whiskey
5. Stone Cold
6. Mother (Danzig cover)
7. Dig Up the Hatchet
8. Hate Song
9. Beauty in the Boogeyman

Next was Archers, whom I discovered last spring after I saw them open for The Funeral Portrait in Charleston, SC last April. I quickly became a fan of theirs after that show, so I was ecstatic to see their name on this lineup and having another chance to see them live. It seemed that a good chunk of the audience was familiar with their music as well, with much of the front section jumping and singing along to songs like “Made For Love” and my personal favorite, “Say This Sober.” Halfway through their set, they played a new unreleased song, “The Dirt,” which also had a favorable reception from the crowd. Archers had another short set, but with them constantly on the road, one could tell how well-rehearsed they are. Even with the extended time on the road over the last year and a half, the band’s energy on stage hasn’t waned a bit — if anything, they’re even more amped up on stage than they were the last time I saw them almost a year ago. I don’t think bassist Drew Hansen ever stood still during that entire set, Nathanael Pulley is such a strong frontman, Ben Koehler may very well be one of the most photogenic guitarists I’ve ever taken photos of, and I have no idea how drummer Grayson Mesarosh didn’t even look the slightest bit exhausted by the end of their set. Their set was even better than when I saw them last spring, and I’m looking forward to the next time I get to see them.

Archers Setlist:

1. Made for Love
2. Drag Me Out
3. Say This Sober
4. The Dirt
5. Making Eyes
6. Never Enough
7. Bitter
8. Perfect Strangers

Catch Your Breath was in direct support, who had a large part of the crowd showing up in support of them. During my time in the photo pit, I saw a lot of people wearing Catch Your Breath shirts, and during the first couple songs it almost felt like they were the headliners. Ironically enough, they might have been the band I knew the least about, aside from Nothing More — of course I’d heard their mega-hit “Dial Tone,” but I never really gave the rest of their discography much of a fair chance. That being said, I was very impressed with their performance both musically and visually — their stage show had a lot of purple lighting, which was a nice change to the usual reds and blues that are seen with most live shows, along with the colors fitting the vibe of their sound. The energy from the crowd was contagious, even during the performance of their new unreleased song “Lost,” and of course the environment was next-level during “Dial Tone,” with the entire venue singing along and waving their phone lights from beginning to end.

Catch Your Breath Setlist:

1. Savages
2. Deadly
3. Dark
4. Ghost Inside the Shell
5. Lost
6. Good in Goodbye
7. Y.S.K.W.
8. 21 Gun Salute
9. Dial Tone
10. Shame on Me

The crowd was more than ready for Nothing More by the time they took the stage, and they wasted no time getting the party started, kicking things off with their upbeat banger “HOUSE ON SAND.” That opening track set the tone for the rest of the night, with the crowd immediately in the palm of the band’s hand, singing along to every single song and the band feeding off of the audience’s energy. What I found most impressive about this set, aside from the overall stage production, was the band’s musical ability in the sense of improvisation — in the midst of playing some of their songs, the band still made time for a few different solo sections, between the band members individually soloing and working together for brief instrumental sections. Aside from the performances of songs from their latest album, ‘CARNAL,’ these solo sections were some of my favorite musical moments of the entire show.

Truth be told, Nothing More is one of those bands that I’ve known about for a little over a decade now, but never really gave their music a proper listen for the longest time. I remember hearing “Jenny” when it was first released and how much of a hit it was for them, and was aware that they were getting bigger and more successful with each release, but I couldn’t name a single song of theirs to save my life. For some reason they were just never on my radar, but after this show, I quickly found myself questioning why I hadn’t checked them out after all this time. I was thoroughly impressed with their set and had a great time watching them. If they return nearby on a future tour, the chances are pretty good that I’ll make an effort to see them again.

Nothing More 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. Jenny
9. SPIRITS
10. STUCK
11. Fadein/Fadeout
12. Ocean Floor
13. This is the Time (Ballast)

Bottom line, this tour is something special — from the support lineup to the production and overall musicianship and variety across the bill, this is a can’t-miss tour. Regardless of your familiarity with the bands, I highly recommend checking this tour out if it lands in your city.

The “CARNAL NATURE” Tour continues through mid-March, with the final show taking place on March 17 in Fayetteville, AR. For dates and tickets, click here.

To keep up with Doobie, click here. To keep up with Archers, click here. To keep up with Catch Your Breath, click here. To keep up with Nothing More, click here.