Summer might not be officially here yet, but summer tour season is already in full-swing bringing stacked lineups all across the U.S. One of the biggest tours taking over right now is the Sick Tour, powered by Pop Punk legends New Found Glory. On Tuesday, May 29th, New Found Glory — or NFG — came crashing through New York City with a stop at the PlayStation Theater in Times Square. To help them out, the band brought along former Yellowcard Vocalist William Ryan Key, plus Bayside and The Movielife. And since both Bayside and The Movielife call the New York area home, that night was extra special for all involved.
When Key took the stage promptly at 7 PM, fans were only just starting to file into the venue. Unfortunately for anyone who decided to show up late, Key put on an excellent, stripped-down solo set featuring songs from his excellent new EP entitled Thirteen. Despite the EP being released only a few days prior, there were several people in attendance singing along to the thoughtful, poignant tracks like “Vultures,” “Old Friends,” and “Thirty Days.” He also cracked a few jokes about being the only acoustic performer on the tour but ensured fans that he would warm them up all the same.
Thrilled to be sharing these new songs with the crowd, Key thanked them for their support of his efforts, and also promised that he would return later in the evening playing guitar and keys with New Found Glory. Of course, Key could not leave without playing at least one Yellowcard song. Practically everyone in the room gladly sang along to every word of the Yellowcard classic “Ocean Avenue” with huge, nostalgia-filled smiles, and with that Key had truly gotten the crowd warmed up for what was next.
Shortly after, Long Island, New York natives The Movielife charged onto the stage with wild energy, ready to perform an explosive hometown show. Originally formed in 1997 — the same year as New Found Glory — The Movielife gained a significant following thanks to a heartfelt melding of Pop Punk and Hardcore. However, the band called it quits in 2003 after releasing 3 LPs, though they later reunited in 2014. In 2017, The Movielife released their fourth studio album, Cities in Search of a Heart, and have been supporting it ever since.
Vocalist Vinnie Caruana, Guitarist Brandon Reilly, Drummer Brett Romnes, along with touring members Matt Fazzi (bass), and Chris Regan (guitar) had hardcore fans of The Movielife crushing up against the barricade and singing along to classics “Walking on Glass” and “Face or Kneecaps.” Keeping that momentum going with newer track “Ghosts in the Photograph,” Caruana made sure to stay engaged with fans, making the set feel like a more intimate hometown show in spite of the bigger venue.
Since the band did not have too much time, they kept the chatter to a minimum and continued rolling through their set with “Hey,” “Mercy is Asleep at the Wheel,” and the slow, stripped-down “Pour Two Glasses,” which Caruana dedicated to his wife. The Movielife gave a strong finish to their set with “Jamestown.” Fans moshed, crowd surfed, and sang along to their hometown favorites, getting the crowd nice and hyped for Bayside.
Hailing from Bayside, Queens, aptly-named Bayside was another band playing a home turf show that night. Bayside has acquired a staunchly dedicated fanbase since forming in 2000, and it was clear from the energy buzzing in the room that the crowd was eager to give it all during their set. Not long ago, Bayside was filling PlayStation Theater with a headlining tour of their own, but even with a shorter opening set the band still managed to make each minute count by putting together a career-spanning mix of tracks that kept the crowd screaming along from start to finish.
Huge cheers erupted as Vocalist Anthony Raneri, Guitarist Jack O’Shea, Drummer Chris Guglielmo, and Bassist Nick Ghanbarian took the stage, clearly ready to tear the place down. Kicking off their set with “Already Gone” and “Sick, Sick, Sick,” fans were already worked up into a frenzy as crowd surfers began to fly overhead. Not slowing down for a minute, the band flew through “Rumspringa (Return to Heartbreak Road),” “Masterpiece,” “It’s Not a Bad Little War,” and fan-favorite “Duality.”
Much to everyone’s surprise, the band brought a fan on stage mid-set. As soon as that fan asked to bring his girlfriend on stage as well and got down on one knee to propose, the room was filled with cheers and good wishes — she said yes! It was touching to be a part of such a special moment, and that only gave the crowd more excited energy to share with Bayside as they rounded out their set with tracks like “Blame it on Bad Luck,” “Stuttering,” and “Montauk,” before giving it their all with classic closer “Devotion and Desire.” Fans were chanting for just one more song, but alas it was not to be because New Found Glory were ready and raring to take the stage for a massive ninety-minute set.
Not too long ago, New Found Glory took over New York City for several nights in celebration of their twentieth anniversary, playing packed sets of entire albums. This time though, the band were out in support of their ninth studio album, Makes Me Sick. Even so, New Found Glory happily jam-packed their setlist with plenty of classics, too. Much like their set that evening, NFG have not stopped since coming together in Coral Springs, Florida in 1997. Founding members Jordan Pundik (vocals), Chad Gilbert (guitar), Ian Grushka (bass), and Cyrus Bolooki (drums) sailed to Pop Punk stardom in the early 2000s and have remained beloved by fans all over the world. The band is rightfully well-known and praised for their insane, energetic live shows, forever branding NFG as one of the most influential bands in the genre.
Backed by some incredible set and lighting design, NFG took the stage backed, as promised, by Key on guitar and keyboards to round out the lineup. Crowd surfers immediately started flying as the band kicked off their explosive set with classics “All Downhill from Here” and “Understatement.” It seemed as though nearly every person in the sold-out crowd was singing along to their old favorites, but just as much enthusiasm was shown for newer tracks like “Party on Apocalypse.”
They kept the set going with more fan-favorites like “Selfless,” “Forget My Name,” and “Failure’s Not Flattering,” while tossing in some new tracks from Makes Me Sick like “Barbed Wire” and “Happy Being Miserable.” The band even picked a fan from the crowd to sing along with them on stage, and then dedicated “Situations” to all of their most dedicated fans who traveled from far-off places to be there that night. It is always great to see bands who actively appreciate their fans and do everything possible to make each show memorable!
After the crowd went wild for “Dressed to Kill,” they chose another fan from the crowd to spin the “wheel of songs” to see which they would play next. Even though the wheel landed on the band’s much-loved cover of Sixpence None the Richer’s “Kiss Me,” the fan they had chosen wanted to hear “Sonny.” After asking the crowd’s opinion, NFG launched into “Sonny” with help on vocals from the fan.
Following that up with summer bummer “Call Me Anti-Social,” “Don’t Let Her Pull You Down,” and beloved single “Head On Collision,” NFG closed out their set with one of their oldest tracks, “Hit Or Miss.” Before the band had even left the stage, fans began chanting for one more song, and it was not long before they returned to perform a Punk-infused cover of Survivor’s “Eye of the Tiger” before finally closing out the evening with “My Friends Over You.”
After witnessing that set, it is no wonder New Found Glory have cemented themselves as enduring Pop Punk legends. In fact, even after more than twenty years together, NFG are showing no signs of slowing down. Be sure to grab your ticket to The Sick Tour when the party comes through your city!
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