june 12 — CONCERTS & EVENTS

After being a band for over two decades New Found Glory showed us they still have it in them to put on a killer show. We got to catch them while on their From the Screen to Your Stereo Tour at the sold-out Buffalo, New York stop.

Before we even got to the see their set we were treated to a stacked opening lineup and first up was Doll Skin. I’ve always wanted to catch this band live but always missed it while at various Warped Tour stops and they didn’t disappoint one bit. With strong vocals, powerful instruments and foremost the message of empowerment and feminism combines together to create a perfect formula. To add to that, all the members equally have such strong stage presence making the performance even more memorable.

Shortly after, The Early November took the stage who really surprised me with their set. I had no prior knowledge of this band or what exactly their sound was like, but I enjoyed every moment of the time they were on stage for from the moment they opened up with “Narrow Mouth” to the closing chords of “I Want to Hear You Sad.” Their music is a perfect mix of melancholy lows and heavy highs, producing incredible live moments of udder chaos, heartfelt singing along and pure just living in the moment. The passion you hear in the lyrics and instrumentals is matched perfectly with their performance on stage.

Next up was Real Friends, a band I have been catching shows for since I was in middle school. Despite seven years passing since I saw them for the first time, their energy and excitement is still embedded in their performance. The spot-on vocals and perfected technique on instruments combined with that energy made them a force to be reckoned with. It also influenced the crowd to actually move and start some pits to become amped up and more than ready for New Found Glory to take the stage.

Now came the moment the packed Town Ballroom had been waiting for, New Found Glory to take the stage. But before we were graced with their presence, they had to set the stage to look exactly like the cover of From the Screen to Your Stereo 3 which was accompanied with old soundtrack music from various movies that would create a sing along in the crowd. On stage was risen circus type blocks with NFG painted on, functioning popcorn machines and even an announcer voice to give a countdown every couple of minutes to let people know when they were going on.

The moment they stepped on the stage the crowd erupted with cheers, and smiles were seen across the whole venue. With a twenty-two song setlist with costume changes and all the band immediately got into starting the set. One thing that really stood out to me was despite them being a pop-punk band and playing a good portion of their original music, they still had this theatrical, whimsical element to their set. The new album aided this in their performance for sure which was something to really experience live.

When they entered with “Eye of the Tiger,” lead vocalist Jordan was fully decked out in the same boxing gear we saw in their music video for the song. This was the same for when they performed “Let It Go,” and we got to see the lovely Elsa join the stage and rock it out. This same method followed for “This is Me” where we got to see circus costumes matched with lighting to fit the mood. Also, I can’t forget “The Power of Love,” which begun the small encore part of this set. I was so excited to hear this live and seeing how they treated the intro to it was executed excellently. They mimicked car headlight movement with the tire screeched audio and commentary from Back to the Future which fully immersed you in this song.

Their original songs also didn’t disappoint live one bit and the smiles you could see on the various ages of crowd members as they belted the lyrics to “Truck Stop Blues,” “Sincerely Me” and “My Friends Over You” really showed what this band is all about. For being a band that’s been around for a while, it creates this space for new and old fans to enjoy music in the moment and have a night they won’t forget. Throughout the night I got to interact with some people there and I got to talk to a family where the parents went to New Found Glory shows when they were younger, and now they’re bringing their kids to the shows who enjoy the music just as much.

New Found Glory have perfectly formulated an astounding show that I wouldn’t miss if you can. Various stops are selling out so I would get your tickets soon to experience this night. Tour dates are listed below and tickets can be purchased here.

JUN 16 Detroit, MI @ St. Andrew's Hall
JUN 18 Indianapolis, IN @ Egyptian Room at Old National Centre
JUN 19 St. Louis, MO @ Delmar Hall
JUN 21 Minneapolis, MN @ Varsity Theater
JUN 22 Milwaukee, WI @ The Rave
JUN 23 Chicago, IL @ Concord Music Hall
JUN 25 Lawrence, KS @ Granada Theater
JUN 26 Denver, CO @ Ogden Theatre
JUN 27 Salt Lake City, UT @ Union Event Center
JUN 29 Berkeley, CA @ The UC Theatre
JUN 30 Anaheim, CA @ House of Blues
JUL 02 Los Angeles, CA @ The Belasco Theater
JUL 03 San Diego, CA @ House of Blues
JUL 05 Las Vegas, NV @ House of Blues
JUL 06 Phoenix, AZ @ The Van Buren
JUL 08 Dallas, TX @ Gas Monkey Live!
JUL 09 Austin, TX @ Emo's
JUL 10 Houston, TX @ House of Blues
JUL 11 New Orleans, LA @ House of Blues
JUL 13 Orlando, FL @ House of Blues
JUL 14 Fort Lauderdale, FL @ Revolution Live

Words and photos by Lindsay Neilson.