New Found Glory Celebrates 20th Anniversary of Catalyst with Tour at The Ritz

BY CAITLIN RUSS

The pop-punk band, New Found Glory, is celebrating the 20th anniversary of their album, Catalyst, with a US tour. They stopped in Raleigh to play at The Ritz on August 18th. Millennials packed the venue with the newest generation of pop-punk fans in tow. The band released their first album in 1999 but their performance may have fans wondering if they have discovered the Fountain of Youth. Band members jumped around on stage while fans crowd surfed and created a mosh pit during certain songs. The night called for celebration as the band is touring to commemorate the 20th anniversary of their second chart-topping album.

New Found Glory played their 2004 album straight through. Sincere Engineer was the only opener, so NFG had plenty of time to play a lengthy encore which featured songs from their other popular albums. Sticks and Stones was released in 2002 and New Found Glory gained many fans when pop-punk was breaking out into the mainstream music world. The band played “Understatement” and “My Friends Over You.” The guys also played two new songs that will not be on an album of their own, but instead, a pop-pink version of Disney classics! They performed “Part of Your World” and “Let it Go.” Who doesn’t love a Disney sing-a-long? The album is titled A Whole New Sound and will be available September 6th!

One band member’s absence was noticeable. Chad Gilbert has been battling cancer for years now, and unfortunately was not feeling well enough to play in Raleigh. Lead singer, Jordan Pundik, gave a shout out to Chad, asking for fans to continue sending messages of positive thoughts and prayers. Friend of the band and guitarist of Four Year Strong, Dan O’Connor has been filling in for Chad during the tour. He has great chemistry with all the members and was having a great time on stage.

Sincere Engineer is the only band opening for New Found Glory on this tour. They are from Chicago, Illinois. Their latest album is “Cheap Grills” (2023). Fans loved lead singer, Deanna Belos’ vocals along with the band’s overall pop-punk sound. They brought the energy! This made them the best opener for New Found Glory’s Catalyst 20 Years Later Tour.

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CAITLIN RUSS

Caitlin Russ is a Florida native currently residing in North Carolina. She is an English teacher by day and freelance entertainment journalist by night. Caitlin enjoys reading, hiking with her husband and 3 children, and attending as many concerts as she can. Her all-time favorite music artists include John Mayer, Tyler Childers, and Paramore.

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