New Found Glory Acoustically Win Our Hearts In Pontiac
New Found Glory brought their ‘Make The Most Of It’ tour with special guest Leanna Firestone to the Flagstar Strand Theatre on March 12, and it was a Pop Punk healing experience.
Leanna Firestone kicked off the night with her heartfelt songs, including “You Just Didn’t Like Me That Much” and “Least Favorite Only Child,” talking about her struggles growing up and coming of age.
New Found Glory then took the stage, and even though they performed acoustically, the lead singer Jordan Pundik brought all the energy he could muster. The band played songs spanning their entire catalog, and even some cover songs, including “A Thousand Years” from Christina Perri, made popular from the ‘Twilight: Breaking Dawn’ 2-part release.
This is not the first time the band has performed on an acoustic tour. In 2009, they came through Saint Andrew’s Hall with Dashboard Confessional, and they sounded just as good now as they did back then (yes, I was present).
I think the biggest thing with a Pop Punk band going on an Acoustic tour is the fact that even though the songs are tailored to be slower or more mellow, we still all have that energy inside us. Many fans still opted to stand while the rest of the theater sat, jousting those Pop Punk finger points into the air. The band also brought along a barista to serve ‘My Brew Over You,’ their signature coffee, to keep everyone over 30 energized for the performance.
SEE THE SETLIST BELOW:
*This setlist does not include the cover of Edwin McCain’s “I’ll Be,” which was part of the encore.
CLICK ANY IMAGE TO VIEW THE PHOTOS OF NEW FOUND GLORY, PHOTOGRAPHED BY AMI NICOLE ACRONYM. PLEASE DO NOT SAVE OR REPOST. FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT HI@ACRONYMIS.COM.
The album ‘Make The Most Of It’ was written in the wake of guitarist Chad Gilbert’s cancer diagnosis – including the single and music video “Dream Born Again,” which you can watch here – alongside seven live acoustic versions of fan favorites. The band’s press release shares that the album “is a rumination on what it means to grieve, to live, to approach every day with appreciation and a sense of fulfillment.”
Here’s more on Chad’s Diagnosis and the story behind it:
“In December 2021, fresh off the celebratory Pop Punk’s Still Not Dead Tour in support of their 10th
album, Forever + Ever x Infinity, Gilbert was found unresponsive in bed at home, rushed to a local hospital, and diagnosed with an 8-inch cancerous tumor, a rare pheochromocytoma. Hospital stays, surgery, and a long road to recovery followed – but, in typical New Found Glory fashion, so did the songs.”“I didn’t want this to be the ‘cancer record’ originally,” Gilbert admits. “But when we went on tour and people started hearing the story and connecting to it, I gave up on trying to control the narrative. Not all bands are dealt these cards, but we were. Let’s take these songs and help the disease get awareness and raise money for a cause that’s working on education and research for my rare cancer.”
“A percentage of proceeds from Make The Most Of It will go to The Pheo Para Alliance, the longest-standing internationally recognized leader in advocacy for, and awareness of, pheochromocytoma.”
“Even though the songs are sadder, they’re still hopeful,” Gilbert says. “You hear so much online
about mental health and fear and anxiety. I feel proud that we can release an album with joy and honesty in a way that will hopefully make people less fearful of life. A lot of times we punish ourselves for things that might never happen. I’m going through something that did happen, but doing it with hope and joy and a greater appreciation.”
To donate to The Pheo Para Alliance, click here.