Pop-punk band New Found Glory began their Make the Most of It Acoustic Tour this month, and they recently made a stop at Phoenix’s Celebrity Theatre. The festivities kicked off with singer-songwriter Leanna Firestone, whose melodic voice and soothing cords welcomed us into three hours of pure musical enjoyment. Her tunes of teenage heartbreak and growing up are told to fans in a unique way compared to what most New Found Glory fans are used to listening to.
At about 9:30 p.m., New Found Glory took the stage, and once again brought the house down. This time however, not with mosh pits, heavy bass and loud vocals, but with songs brought into a new light, visually immersive effects and lighting, and a thousand voices singing the same way most of them have for decades. As someone who is more used to the former, it was unique and amazing to watch a show like this.
This is not to say the set was anywhere near low energy, though, they did play some of their acoustic-only songs. Still, everyone was on their feet. They sang their all-time classics like “My Friends Over You” and “Dressed To Kill.” They even played a cover of “Iris,” originally performed by the Goo Goo Dolls. Guitarist Will Levy from fellow pop-punk group The Story So Far joined New Found Glory for the entire show. Leanna Firestone was brought back to play keyboard for a few songs, including another cover — this time, a beautiful rendition of Edwin McCain’s “I'll Be.”
In a massive encore, the show concluded with “Dream Born Again,” a song off their album “Make the Most of It.” Even though the set lasted two hours, fans still wanted more. They couldn’t get enough. It felt like everyone was having the time of their lives and enjoying this band that has been — and will continue to be — a huge part of so many lives for such a long time.
New Found Glory put out an amazing album and are still in the midst of a phenomenal acoustic tour, and fans in Arizona sincerely hope they can perform here again.