I have spent a good amount of my life going to concerts. There are some bands I enjoy seeing live, there are some I never want to see again and there are some I will always see when they come around. New Found Glory is one of those bands for me and it has been that way since 2000. That summer I saw them open for Blink-182 and nothing has been the same since. That day I went to see Bad Religion but I left A NFG fan. While on my way to the venue I was thinking about my NFG experiences and the night that was ahead of me. It dawned on me that this was show 15 of 2015 and it had been 15 years since I first saw them, yeah March, 26 2015 was going to be a great night.

I missed most of the first band, Turnover but I was okay with that. I heard two songs and I really was not impressed. Nothing stood out about them. Maybe I should give them another listen, simply for the fact that I know that they have a good following. At the same time I am a bit of a music snob or so I’ve been called on more than one occasion. And to that I say the rock and roll hall of fame is joke. Do not watch this year’s induction ceremony. Lol. But in all seriousness I think I may give Turnover another listen. One of their fans is a friend that has really awesome taste in music and he has introduced me to a few awesome bands. He also runs a label so he has to have a good ear for music, right?

The next band up was This Wild Life. I knew a little about them before the night so I knew what I was in for. However I did not know it would be that good. Let me say this first I am not a fan of athletes, actors or musicians been called the next someone else. Sometime last year after I caught my first Front Porch Step show I was left speechless and the only thing I could think about was the first time I saw Dashboard Confessional way back in 2001. Well with all the stuff going on with him at the moment I’m not sure what’s next for that guy. My point is this, I had that same feeling I had in 2001 was back on this night during This Wild Life’s set. The emotion coming from these two guys was so intense. I had to hold back tears at one point. The song “Better with You” could bring the toughest baldest man to tears. I have their CD but have yet to listen to it for fear of it not living up to them live. Maybe one of these days I’ll listen to it.

If there was an odd band on this tour, Turnstile was it. They are a hardcore band. If you know NFG then you know they tour with bands from all genres. I mean, they are the kings of “popcore.” Anyway, Turnstile are a buzz band at the moment. And after seeing them I now understand why. Their set was so full of energy. Lots of running around, jumping and crowd participation. I liked the crowd participation, it’s awesome to see but I feel the vocalist threw the mic into the crowd too much. The highlight of their set was finally hearing “Death Grip” live, that song gets me pumped like no other.

The last band of the night was of course the one I came to see. A band that has shaped my taste in music more than most bands. That band of course is NEW FOUND GLORY!!! Before I go any further, let me say that if you have never seen this band live, you need to make that happen. This was my first time seeing them since last summer at FMMF, which was a killer set and one of their first as a 4 piece. They still have remained a 4 piece. And you really can’t tell. They sound just as amazing as they always have. On this night they played a monstrous 21 song set. One of the things I like about this band is their set list. It always spans their catalog. You WILL hear the songs you want from every album. They know how to keep their fans happy and coming back for more. For me it is always a treat to hear anything off the S/T album. However on this night they treated us to their cover of “King of wishful thinking” by Go West. I thought I was the only one that truly loves this cover, man was I wrong. Newport Music Hall went crazy. I don’t think I’ve ever seen so much dancing, singing and smiles there. It was wonderful. It was a moment I will not forget. As a matter of fact I’m listening to that song right now and can’t help but smile. There was one more thing that stood out about that night, we got to see a marriage proposal. She of course said yes.

Nights like this is why I continue and will continue to attend NFG shows. They are hands down one of the best bands around and they always have really good support bands with them. I am looking forward to their fall tour. It should be a great time as always.