On the eve of Thanksgiving Eve, I headed down to the Showbox to see Newfound Glory. This tour celebrated the 20th anniversary of the band’s origins. Singer Jordan Pundik was all energy. He ran from one end of the stage to the other non-stop. Drummer Cyrus Bolooki slammed with such fury I kept expecting his kit to explode. Bass player Ian Grushka and guitarist Chad Gilbert constantly swapped places on opposite ends of the stage.
Near the end of their set Jordan leaped off stage and sang amongst the audience, often pointing his mic at someone nearby while they shouted out the lyrics. This was for their song Hit or Miss (Waited Too Long). The crowd surfing amongst audience members never let up. For a mid-week show, the house was packed.
Opening was the Ataris, another pop punk band. Kristopher Roe (Vocals, Guitar) did a great job engaging the audience and getting them to sing along, At the end of their set he leaped off the stage and began surfing the crowd while singing and strumming his guitar, before surfing back onto the stage. When they finished their set many in the audience were chanting, one more song. I’d love to see these guys return and headline their own show. They were a lot of fun. The rest of the Ataris are Dustin Phillips – Drums, Mike Woods – Bass, and Dale Nixon on guitar.
What ruined the whole evening for me was the security at the Showbox. Of all the clubs I frequent in this city I often get hassled by staff at the Showbox. This is why I seldom attend shows there. There has to be someone I really love and really want to see in order to get me to set foot in either Showbox venue. One security dude kept coming over to me to tell me to stop using my flash. I hadn’t used my flash all night. I tried explaining this but he refused to believe me. He then brought over two more security people who told me to stop using my flash. I showed them my flash wouldn’t even work on the settings I was using and that the flash itself was still folded inside the camera. But the more I tried to prove to them they were wrong, the more they hassled me. If there was an encore, I didn’t stick around. I really doubt I’ll attend a concert at the Showbox again. No band is worth the constant hassling I get at that club and I’ve attended concerts there for over 35 years.
Both bands put on excellent shows and I can only hope that when they return they don’t play the Showbox.
