New Found Glory Go Down Fighting

Toronto, ON

Phoenix Concert Theatre

Stephanie Joudrey (CHARTattack)

04/29/2009 2:13pm

It was no surprise to run into a wall of Warped Tour kids sporting shirts with lines like "Pop Punk's Not Dead" after I walked into the Phoenix. Though I might disagree after Tuesday night's fiasco.

I got there in time to catch Set Your Goals, whom I had heard great things about. The sound guys ran around like headless chickens as their set neared, so I had a hunch something was wrong. I didn't realize just how wrong until they hit the stage.

You couldn't hear anything that singers Matt Wilson or Jordon Brown said as they jumped around the stage. The feedback that squawked from the speakers didn't help either. It sucked because I really wanted to get behind these guys considering their cheeky song titles like "Goonies Never Say Die!" It's a shame I never found out what they actually sounded like. Their jumping was the only thing in sync.

Bayside were next, and although the sound issues were fixed, they were entirely forgettable. Even their fancy guitar solos didn't help. It probably has something to do with their mid-tempo pace, which never really got you going and never changed. Sure, their cover of NOFX's "Linoleum" perked people up and stopped us from yawning and Tweeting, but it was too little, too late.

New Found Glory bounced out onto the stage with a "Fuck yeah!" The crowd dutifully cheered, happy for finally getting a little enthusiasm as the band bounced through their latest single, "Listen To Your Friends." Their timing seemed to be off at first, but they quickly fixed it and slipped into gear.

They kept the pace up right into "Understatement." At this point, it became apparent that something was wrong with frontman Jordan Pundik's vocals. You could see he was struggling. He got the crowd to sing a lot of the lyrics, and it wasn't hard to figure out Pundik had lost his voice. It was either that or New Found Glory are really, really, really fond of singalongs.

This is how things went from the second song: Pundik would struggle to hit the right note, the band would plough on, then they'd coax the crowd to sing the lyrics. Nobody minded most of the time. The Phoenix crowd faithfully handled most of the main vocals through "Tell All My Friends I'm Dead," "All Downhill From Here" and "Sincerely Me."

It's a shame this had to happen because the band had some great energy. Pundik thrashed around the stage without having to sing as much. You could feel his energy when he would scream out between songs, and these guys have a live intensity that blows many bands away. Guitarist Chad Gilbert had charisma and charm on one side of the stage while bassist Ian Grushka hopped around the stage looking a bit like a topless Fat Mike.

It was for nothing, though, because Pundik's vocals completely and definitively collapsed for "Failure's Not Flattering." Pundik's voice is a little annoying at the best of times, but the sounds he was making were inhumane. You could see the look on his face even from where I was hiding in the back. The pain continued right through "Dressed To Kill."

It wasn't only painful to listen to, but also hurt to watch. You could tell Pundik was frustrated.

Thank God NFG have picked up some dedicated fans over six albums, because those fans knew the words. I figured as long as they stuck to the popular songs, they'd survive. And, indeed, the fans willingly delivered as he handed over the microphone to them for "Hit Or Miss."

Pundik then found it in him to pull it together for the band's set closer, a cover of Simple Minds' "Don't You (Forget About Me)."

I prayed the house lights would come on. Instead, the band bounced back onto the stage to run through "Better Off Dead" and "2's And 3's," which both got huge receptions from the wasted 19-year-olds hanging around near me. From there, it was on to one last singalong with "My Friends Over You."

I give credit to NFG for sticking it out. As their new album suggests, they did not go down without a fight. New Found Glory made the best of what they could, but they beat up our ears while doing it.