New Found Glory took to the stage at Walt Disney World’s EPCOT last night (September 28), where they paid an emotional tribute to late guitarist Chad Gilbert.
The band’s founding guitarist passed away on September 20 at the age of 45, following a five year battle with cancer.
After pulling out of their slot at this weekend’s Aftershock Festival, the band shared that they would be playing this run of shows to honour Chad, who was a “huge Disney fan”.
Taking to the stage together for the first time since his passing, it was an understandably emotional affair, but one that ultimately acted as a celebration of Chad’s life and the songs he helped to create.
During their set, Jordan Pundik spoke candidly to the crowd about what these shows mean to the band:
“For those of you that don’t know, we lost our brother last week… Even though he’s not here in body, he’s here in spirit tonight. He is here in these songs, in our hearts, on this stage… He loved his family fiercely, he loved this band fiercely, and he loved his fans fiercely. So, with that said, let’s make this a celebration of Chad’s life.”
You can watch footage of the poignant moment below.
Speaking on their decision to play these shows, the band shared the following statement:
“Anyone who knew Chad knew that he was a massive Disney fan. Our shows at Epcot were dates he was so excited for and he was actively planning to be on stage with us there. He had already worked on the setlists with us and was practicing as much as possible to be ready. Because of how much he wanted to play these shows, taking the stage at Epcot feels like the right way to honor him, and what he would want us to do. Our plan from the beginning with him was to announce our Epcot sets ahead of time, so we feel it’s only appropriate to share them with you now as we prepare to play in his memory.
“Every note we play and every word you sing at Epcot is for Chad. Thank you all for wrapping us in so much love, understanding, and support as we come together to honor his legacy.”
Chad played on all of the band’s albums from 1999’s ‘Nothing Gold Can Stay’ to this year’s ‘Listen Up!’, and also served as vocalist for seminal hardcore band Shai Hulud between 1995-1998 and 2012-2013, as well as producer for A Day To Remember’s ‘Homesick’, ‘What Separates Me From You’ and ‘Common Courtesy’, H2O’s ‘Nothing To Prove’ and Fireworks’ ‘All I Have to Offer Is My Own Confusion’.
Since the announcement, there has been an outpouring of tributes shared from every corner of the scene, including those who considered Chad an inspiration, a friend, a collaborator, and a brother.
