New Found Glory / Saves the Day

I hadn't seen Saves the Day in about two-and-a-half years, and even that was acoustic. Hands down, I can't deny they're one of my all-time favorite bands, so this was a pretty long time to go without seeing a set of their well-done and varied forms of…pop-punk? Whatever they can be called these days, I guess. The wait was completely worth it, as the set was total bliss. I was hoping the band would celebrate the spirit of the tour at least a bit (with New Found Glory playing their 10-year-old self-titled album front-to-back), but it still shocked me that they gave my favorite album of theirs the most love (four songs!) and overall did a really, really energetic set. I mean, "All-Star Me" into "The End"? "Sell My Old Clothes, I'm Off to Heaven" into "Rocks Tonic Juice Magic" into "At Your Funeral" into "Shoulder to the Wheel"?!?!?! Fuck! It couldn't have been better if they played something off Can't Slow Down…okay, maybe a little.

Chris Conley barely said a word to the crowd and I couldn't be happier about it; the band used their time wisely, squeezing 15 songs into a 46-minute set without a hitch and very few pauses among them. They also nailed every song wonderfully with their new lineup; the dudes don't quite have stage presence down yet, but you probably don't need to do much when you're playing songs that kids--well, young adults…okay, grown-ass men acting like children--will go apeshit for anyway (read: really bizarre pit action). The clean-faced Conley, whose voice isn't as oddly wavering these days as it was when it shocked fans with 2006's Sound the Alarm, even wore a striped-blue polo; save post-Stay What You Are songs, it could've been 2001. Everyone just seemed completely stoked, but especially for the songs from TBC/SWYA. Granted, the band ended on a totally weird song for a closer, but for the set that preceded it it was totally forgiveable.

Set list (9:09-9:55):

It was so much fun, but now I'd get to see an old fling play my favorite album of theirs in its entirety. After having a splendid time watching another favorite play their wildly popular sophomore LP a while back, I figured this would be a good time, too, and it was. The band came out to Miley Cyrus' "Party in the U.S.A." with only a hint of irony really coating it, and then busted into the fast pop-punk beat of "Better Off Dead," and it had begun. With Jordan Pundik's slightly less nasally voice it was like a moderately improved version of an already pretty awesome pop-punk album, with the band playing songs in small batches and ever-vocal guitarist Chad Gilbert giving a little background here and there. Okay, so there were a few sloppy parts and missed cues here and there, but it was an otherwise pretty solid performance. It's still hard to believe I first heard this album when I was 14. Towards the end of the regular set, my friend Jay turned to me and exclaimed with a $12 (!!!) tallcan of Budweiser in his hand, "I feel like a kid again!" He almost nailed it, as I pointed to his drink and amended his observation: "Yeah, except we can drink."

The band came out for an expected encore, but it was cool they did eight songs to flesh out the set to a solid 20. It was cooler that they added the Lifetime-flavored "Truck Stop Blues," as well as the fist-pump-trap "Don't Let Her Pull You Down," another sure highlight from their revival LP, last year's Not Without a Fight. Plus, they did the excellent "Intro," the cover of GB's "No Reason Why" for the NYC crowd, and zip from the record that shall never be spoken of.

Set list (10:27-11:08):

If this style of pop-punk got you through high school but you're kinda jaded about how some bands overblow it these days, this tour is your nostalgia trip (or maybe just another show for you). Either way, don't blow it.