New Found Glory at the Wiltern in Los Angeles – Gallery

The year is 2004. Myspace is going absolutely strong, but a newcomer to the game in Facebook has just launched. The Mars Rover has landed and is sending back images of a distant world. Janet Jackson is a key topic as nipplegate sweeps the country. And in May, New Found Glory drops their latest album, Catalyst. Released on Drive Thru / Geffen Records, bands have been a bit nostalgic for playing well received and loved releases, and the NFG crew is no different. Just days away from their Sticks & Stones set at When We Were Young Fest in Las Vegas, the band stopped in for the night at the Wiltern in Los Angeles, playing Catalyst from opening to close.

The band kicked their set off with the “Intro,” because that’s what you do. You get the energy and the mosh pit moving, with singer Jordan Pundik screaming “Don’t believe a word, a word they say”, a song undeniably about the feeling of the scene at that moment in time. The band had a small change of line-up, as Dan O’Conner of Four Year Strong was shredding both guitar and backing vocals for this tour. The band went into crowd favorite “All Downhill From Here,” followed up by “This Disaster” and “Truth Of My Youth.”

The band, which formed in Coral Springs, FL back in 1997 is an absolutely solid musical unit all these years later. Closing in on almost 28 years as a band, the band doesn’t appear to be slowing down, nor showing a lack of enthusiasm. The band is essentially a godfather of the pop punk scene, by bringing in a bit of hardcore and punk into their music, keeping it light, fun, and listener friendly, while never sacrificing their melodic styled pop punk rock.

Kicking off the evening was a band from Chicago, IL called Sincere Engineer. The band showcased an uptempo low fi indie sound with raspy vocals, and helped jumpstart the evening for everyone in attendance. Sometimes you need a little mellow before you get punched in the gut. But maybe that’s just me.

Check out our favorite photos of the night or head to our Facebook page for the full gallery!

NEW FOUND GLORY

SINCERE ENGINEER

All Photo Credit: John McCrary