New Found Glory Hit the Lights in Early November

By Lauren Squazzo
Collegian Reporter
November 15, 2006

Waiting outside the Electric Factory in a torrential downpour was just the start of an ultimately satisfying night complete with ringing ears, bruises, blood and pain. Headliners New Found Glory, along side The Early November, Cartel and Hit The Lights, staged enthralling performances and delivered all the essentials of a melodramatic, adrenaline pumping, pop-punk rock show.

Hailing from Ohio, Hit The Lights opened the show with their first song “The Call Out (You Are the Dishes)” from their album This is a Stick Up...Don’t Make It a Murder. Hyped up and wild, the crowd broke into a series of mosh pits within seconds of the first song.

With jibing choruses and catchy lyrics, it’s no surprise that “Speakers Blown,” “Three Oh Nine” and “Make a Run For It” had the most exciting crowd participation. Finishing their incredible performance up with their popular song “Body Bag” caused the crowd to break out again into series of moshes and crowd surfing, feeding a rush of adrenaline to fans.

Soaking wet from rain and sweat, fans’ anticipation for the next band grew strong. Cartel set up their equipment and opened with “Burn This City.” Frenzied fans continued the scene as they sang even more with Cartel than with HTL. Bringing more to the performance, vocalist Will Pugh played around with his snazzy harmonics, showing his talent, especially in the slower more melodic “Minstrel’s Prayer.”

To many fans’ excitement, Cartel’s last two songs were played in sequence. Songs “Q” and “A” together play about 13 minutes long. “A,” a nine minute song which is not normally played, brings pieces of all the songs on Chroma (Cartel’s sophomore album) into one. “A” also shows off Will’s vocal range and precision, along with the band’s instrumental talents. Unfortunately, though, Cartel did not play any of their older material, which was a disappointment to many fans.

Some relaxation in the crowd came as The Early November took the stage. Fun, melodic and pop sounding, “I Want To Hear You Sad” opened the set. Frontman Ace Enders pumped up the crowd for favorites such as “Something That Produces Results,” “Hair” and “Baby Blue,” then serenaded the crowd with their last, symphonious song “The Truth Is.” A great song, yes, but as one fan admitted, an ideal last song should not leave you thinking, “I could really use some drums crashing right now.”

Meanwhile, guitarists Ville Friman and Ville Vanni provide the constant subtext to Sevanen’s lyrics. Melodies and harmonies abound, complementing the words in a way that gives them added emotional depth. Tracks such as “Drawn to Black” benefit greatly from the interplay of clean guitar melodies and Sevanen’s growls, creating moments with just the right mixture of anger and sadness that are quickly becoming one of the band’s trademarks. In a way, the guitar work on Above the Weeping World functions as the secondary, if not the primary, vocalist on the album.

The last, most anticipated band of the night, New Found Glory, started with their single “All Downhill From Here,” from their 2004 album Catalyst, and set the crowd into maniacal mode with intensified pushing and moshing.

New Found Glory puts on an exciting show and never fail to impress the fans. With the release of their new album, Coming Home, the band played their single, “It’s Not Your Fault,” along with “Hold My Hand” and the title track. Fans who already knew the lyrics sang along with the band. The popular single from their album Sticks and Stones, “Head On Collision,” had fans crowd surfing and engaging in some true head on collisions.

In 2000, New Found Glory released a cover album of songs from movies titled From the Screen to Your Stereo, and from that album they played “The Glory Of Love,” which may have taken the trophy for their best song/performance of the night.

NFG came back for an encore after playing “Hit or Miss,” and performed another Nothing Gold Can Stay tune, “You’ve Got a Friend in Pennsylvania,” along with “My Friends Over You.” It’s pretty safe to say that New Found Glory knows how to take the stage and put on the best of pop-punk shows out there.

“We will be a band until the day we die!” said New Found Glory’s Ian Grushka to the fans, clearing up any rumors about this tour being their last. A band of over nine years, NFG can definitely claim to have inspired many bands, national or local.

New Found Glory also announced that they will be returning to Philly in January, and told fans to get tickets as soon as they are released as the band who they will be touring with have a significant fan following. I heavily recommend going to see all of these bands play next time they come around. You are in for a treat.

squazzol1@lasalle.edu