New Found Glory to honour Chad Gilbert with six EPCOT shows

New Found Glory will honour late guitarist Chad Gilbert with six performances at EPCOT on Sept. 28 and Sept. 29.

The band announced the tribute shows in an Instagram post on Sept. 23. The announcement came three days after Gilbert died on Sept. 20 at age 45 after a long battle with cancer.

His wife, Lisa Cimorelli, announced his death. Gilbert co-founded New Found Glory in 1997 at age 17. He was later diagnosed with liver cancer in 2021 and said six months before his death that he was fighting brain cancer.

The tribute performances will take place at EPCOT at Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida. They form part of the Eat to the Beat Concert series, according to Billboard. The band is scheduled to play six different sets across the two days.

To keep the EPCOT dates, the band has cancelled another live booking. Its planned appearance at the Aftershock Festival in Sacramento, scheduled for Oct. 1-4, will no longer go ahead. The EPCOT shows will replace that festival appearance.

Gilbert had a direct hand in planning the Florida concerts before his death. He worked on the setlists with his bandmates and had been practising to be on stage. A setlist, the ordered list of songs played at a show, is usually prepared closely with the performers.

The band shared the planned running orders when it confirmed the tribute. They include songs such as 'My Friends Over You,' 'Hit or Miss,' 'Dressed to Kill' and 'Better Off Dead.' Each of the six sets has a different selection and order.

Gilbert was known as a massive Disney fan, as noted by NME. That affection gives added weight to the choice of venue. EPCOT will now host the band's first announced performances since his death.

For fans, this means the September shows will carry a direct personal link. The songs were chosen with Gilbert's involvement. The stage was one he had hoped to return to, and the two-day run will now serve as a farewell shaped by his plans.