A jam-packed Club Infinity welcomed pop-punk favorites New Found Glory back to the Buffalo area for the first time in over a year last Friday night. The song selection jumped from album to album as much as omni-hyper front man Jordan Pundik bounced across the stage.
NFG kicked off their set with "All Downhill From Here," the ironically titled opening track off 2004's "Catalyst." They immediately went into "Understatement" off "Sticks and Stones" and then "Better off Dead" from their self-titled album.
The unrelenting enthusiasm at the opening of their set let everyone know that they were in for an adrenaline rush. Mosh pits broke out all over the club in response to "Hit or Miss" and "Something I Call Personality," among others.
Remarking on the over-packed show, lead singer Jordan Pundik offered his sympathy by saying, "To all the girls in the front, sorry about your boobs. To all the dudes in the front, sorry about your peens."
NFG concluded their set with the undeniably catchy acoustic-driven "Too Good to Be," and their hit "My Friends Over You." After the nights performance there is no denying that the band is as good, if not better than they were at their inception nine years ago.
Supporting act The Early November also diversified their set with songs from every album. "Decoration," "I Want to Hear You Sad" and "Baby Blue" seemed to garner the loudest cheers and the most fan accompaniment.
They ended their set with "The Truth Is," an odd choice considering the slow, tedious nature of the song. The fans seemed to be disappointed with this selection and remained relatively quiet through its duration.
In response, lead vocalist Arthur "Ace" Enders said, "I'm sorry but we're playing 'The Truth Is'. I wrote this song at a time when we all hated each other and wanted to break up."
He claims they finished with the song that mirrored their near break-up to show that TEN is still here and stronger than ever.
When asked about The Early November's performance, UB sophomore and film major Garrett Carlson stated, "As a big fan of The Early November, I was glad to see them play songs off all of their releases."
Cartel preceded The Early November and despite being the third band on the bill, there were a healthy amount of fans present.
Vocalist Will Pugh belted out the crowd favorites "Honestly," and "Say Anything (Else)," off their debut album "Chroma." Even with an abbreviated set, Cartel put on a strong performance and had everyone singing along to their infectious blend of radio-friendly pop-punk.
The opening act was the multi-tasking John Ralston. He plays guitar, piano, and sings. His music can be compared to a more upbeat John Mayer.
From beginning to end, from New Found to just plain new, the night did not disappoint.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
