My friend might be over you, but I am certainly not. There is something special about a New Found Glory show — its not just the nostalgic feeling of being transported back 15 years, but its the gathering of fellow elder pop punk fans shouting lyrics that shaped their teenage years.
Opening the night, Koyo wasted no time proving why they’re one of the most exciting new-ish names, feeding energy off the crowd and making their set one to remember. By the end of their set, I was hooked.
Next up, Real Friends obviously got the wrong memo for the night, because I was pretty sure they were meant to be warming up the crowd, not taking over like the headliner. Frontman Cody Murano was undeniable, spending as much time in the crowd and the air than he did on stage, reminding everyone why they are the band to see live. Every chorus felt like a surge with the crowd shouting it back twice as hard. Their set left me worrying that New Found Glory wouldn’t be able to top it.
But, then it was time for New Found Glory, and suddenly, it was 2004 again. The lights dropped, and the first chords rang out. "Hit or Miss." And it hit. Hard. The crowd was largely made up of 30’s and 40’s year olds, all grinning and singing along like no time had passed.
Jordan Pundik was the same as he has always been. With Dan O’Connor from Four Year Strong joining on guitar, the band sounded huge, all melody and pure pop punk. Every anthem landed perfectly: "Hit or Miss," "Head On Collision," "All Downhill From Here," and "Dressed to Kill," with each one hitting harder than the last.
And just when you thought it couldn’t get any better, they broke into their now infamous pop-punk cover of "Let It Go" from the Disney film Frozen. The room erupted with a mass singalong that summed up everything about a New Found Glory show: fun, singing, and a room of new friends.
After all these years, NFG have held onto their spark. For one night in Birmingham, everyone was fifteen again, and it felt incredible.
