New Found Glory – The Crofoot Ballroom – 06.01.18

New Found Glory, Bayside, The Movielife, William Ryan Key
The Crofoot Ballroom – Pontiac, MI – 6.1.18
Photographer: Kyle Smutzki 

It was Friday, June 1st and New Found Glory had a line wrapped around the building in anticipation for their sold out show at The Crofoot Ballroom in Pontiac, MI. The band was joined by friends in Bayside, The Movielife and William Ryan Key (former frontman of Yellowcard).

William Ryan Key opened up the night off with playing through his entire self-released EP, “Thirteen”.

Key ended his set with the vastly successful hit “Ocean Avenue” from his former group Yellowcard, the crowd shouted every lyric back to Key until the last note was stuck.

The Movielife was the second act of the night. The band originally formed in 1997, disbanded in 2003 and then reunited in 2014.

Their set consisted of nine songs, including “Mercy is Asleep at the Wheel” and “Jamestown”. The crowd corresponding with lead singer’s Vinnie Caruara energy amped up the already rowdy crowd for the following pop-punk performances that would take place.

Bayside stormed out on stage next and the energy in the room exploded as soon as frontman and rhythm guitarist Anthony Raneri started the set off with “Already Gone”. Throughout the set, the band continued to please long time fans with playing favorites like “Duality” and “Devotion and Desire”.

Towards the end of the set, they added “They Looked Like Strong Hands” and during the 4 minutes and 38 seconds of that song the emotion in the room the was so powerful that fans were either fighting the urge to sing along or even tear up.

Pop punk superstars New Found Glory were finally on stage and the crowd could not have been any happier. Forming in 1997 this band has been writing hits ever since.

Their set included 21 songs (3 which were covers). Opening the set off with coincidently the first song that I discovered them from many years, “All Downhill From Here”. The crowd jumped up from excitement to match the energy coming from lead singer Jordan Pundik. Their setlist had a heavy focus on their earlier releases, playing incredible hits such as; “Dressed to Kill, Hit or Miss, Situations” and even throwing a curveball in with their Sixpence None the Richer cover “Kiss Me”.

The band also included tracks from their most recent release from Hopeless Records, Makes Me Sick such as “Barbed Wire” and “Happy Being Miserable”. The crowd’s enjoyment was completely visible.

Ending their set with “Hit or Miss” instantly reacted to the infamous, “ONE MORE SONG!” chant. As any performer pleases to do, they returned with powering through Survivor’s “Eye of the Tiger”. The smiles in the room lit it up more than the lighting equipment used on the stage. Once finishing, they ended the night with arguably one of the most known pop-punk song out there, “My Friends Over You”.

 

William Ryan Key 

 

The Movielife

 

Bayside

 

New Found Glory