New Found Glory announced they will still perform at the EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival following the passing of lead guitarist and backing vocalist Chad Gilbert this week.
New Found Glory at EPCOT
The band wrote on social media that they are canceling their upcoming Aftershock Festival appearance to give themselves time to process and grieve. They have decided to go on with the EPCOT shows, however, because Gilbert “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.
Their setlists include “Part of Your World,” which they initially covered for Disney’s A Whole New Sound pop-punk album.
In 2024, Gilbert said about covering the song:
In approaching this song, I sat with the lyrics and melodies for a while. I realized that to make people feel what Ariel’s feeling, we needed to match the energy of the music with the rebellious thoughts of the song, along with her hope for adventure. When she sings about wanting to dance, the music is upbeat and fun, but when she expresses her longing for freedom, the rhythm drops so you really feel the pull of the heart. Our band’s biggest goal has always been to show and encourage young adults, the young at heart, and any person that has a dream but faces self-doubt that there is another world out there that will accept them for exactly who they are. To not be afraid to take the next step.
New Found Glory will perform six shows as part of the Eat to the Beat Concert Series on September 28 and 29.
Gilbert passed away “peacefully in his sleep,” his wife Lisa Cimorelli and the band announced on September 20. “He left this world surrounded by friends and family and took his final breaths with his wife and mother by his side, just as he wished. We are devastated and shocked by how quickly he left us, yet so grateful for how peacefully and smoothly he went.”
Gilbert had been diagnosed with cancer several times in the past five years, most recently with stage 4 adrenocortical carcinoma.
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