New Found Glory Returns

My first concert experience was when my friends and I attended Surfest in 2004. It was a concert festival that featured popular bands such as Rise Against, Yellowcard and New Found Glory. New Found Glory was the last band to play their set. It would have been my first time seeing the band live. Just when the band was about to make their dramatic entrance on stage, one of my friends was not feeling well due to the weather (only in Hawaii that there is some degree of humity in December). Because of that, we had to exit Kualoa Ranch. Good news was that we beat the traffic heading out and my friend was feeling better once we left. The bad news, however, was that I, as well as my other friends missed out on seeing New Found Glory for the first time.

But on March 9, 2011, New Found Glory made their return back to the island of Oahu. It was another chance for me to experience something that I missed out on 7 years ago.

The lights dimmed and the first thing you hear coming out from the speakers is the epic theme from the movie, Chariots of Fire. Suddenly, the New Found Glory, donning their very own personalized basketball uniforms, stormed the stage and got the crowd jumping with their song “Understatement”. The energy did not stopped there as the band continued to play many favorites such as “All Downhill From Here”, “Head On Collision”, “My Friends Over You”, “Hit or Miss” and over course, their rendition of Sixpence None The Richer’s “Kiss Me”. One of the highlights of the night was hearing my favorite song “Dressed To Kill” live. It was a bittersweet moment for me because it was that particular song (and Rachael Leigh Cook) that made me a fan for the rest of my life.

The most well kept secret of the night (except for those who are active on Twitter) was located backstage. Hayley Williams, frontwoman of the band Paramore and girlfriend of NFG guitartist Chad Gilbert was present that night. She was there in honor of her boyfriend’s birthday. Jordan Pundnik and the rest of the crew took a moment to do a birthday sing-a-long with the crowd for their long time friend and bandmate. It was a very touching moment and it really shows that these guys are more than just a bunch of guys with a common interest in music, but best friends. It’s a testament of these guys’ longevity as a band. Don’t be surprised if you see these guys in their 60’s still rocking out and playing shows.

The feeling of finally seeing one of my favorite bands play live and being able to sing every single song is something that I will never forget. It was bittersweet and I hope that it doesn’t take me another 7 years to see these guys again.

All photos were taken by Melissa Kumano of Bamp Project. You can follow her Twitter and look up more of her work here.

Deftones Live

I had never seen the Deftones live before. The only thing close to watching them live was watching footage of their concerts on Youtube. But that all changed last night as I watched the Sacramento metal band live for the first time.

The moment that Stephen Carpenter came one and took a picture a crowd with his camera, we all knew we are in for one hell of a night. As the rest of the band members walk on stage, the crowd screams grew louder. The moment they played the first song, the crowd went absolutely wild as the band kicked off the show in strong fashion.

In this concert, there was no room for disappointment. The superb musicianship from the band was clearly obvious. There was no distinction between their live presence that night from the six records they have recorded. Every note and every word was rendered perfectly that brought thrill and excitement everyone in the crowd. On top of that, they played a solid set which features fan favorites such as “Change (In The House of Flies)”, “My Own Summer (Shove It)”, “Be Quiet and Drive (Far Away)”, “Minerva”, “Hole In The Earth” and including “Rocket Skates” from their latest release Diamond Eyes (this was Future Phonograph’s Cream of the Crop 2010; read it here). Again, there was no room for disappointment. It was certain that every fan left with a smile on their face because more likely they have heard one of the favorite songs played live that night

One of the high points of the entire concert was when vocalist Chino Moreno stepped off the stage and into the crowd. As the crowd savagely rushed toward where he was standing at, my girlfriend and I was standing front and center as she grabbed his leg while I held on to his long sleeve. Between furious screams and melodic singing, everybody pushed and shoved all wanting a piece of the Deftones frontman. However, Chino showed great composure in the midst of all the chaos and broke free of the demonic release of the crowd to get back on stage. To add to that, Chino Moreno was extremely dynamic on stage. He was never idle for even a second as he ran around on stage like a madman. For someone that has been performing for 10 years, it’s great to see that he has not lost his touch.

The only sad note especially those who have followed the Deftones their entire musical careers (including myself) was the absence of their bandmate and dear friend Chi Cheng. For those that don’t know, Chi Cheng was in car accident in 2006 that left in a coma. His condition resulted in the band having to enroll in the duties of former Quicksand bass player Sergio Vega. Keep in mind though, he is not Chi’s replacement. Sergio is merely helping out his friend in their time of need. Although, Chi was not physically there on stage, in our hearts his was presence was felt. As we and the rest of the Deftones family miss him dearly, our prayers go out to him and family in hopes that he will one day return back on stage with his comrades. For more info on how you can help, visit oneloveforchi.com.

Overall, the concert exceeded beyond my expectations. It is clear that Deftones is truly a sight to see live and I look forward to seeing them live again. Hopefully their return the island won’t be too long of a wait this time around.

All photos were taken by Melissa Kumano of Bamp Project. You can follow her Twitter and look up more of her work here.