New Found Glory will take the stage at EPCOT on Monday, September 28, and Tuesday, September 29, for six Eat to the Beat Concert Series performances dedicated to founding guitarist Chad Gilbert, who died on September 20 at age 45. The band canceled its October 1 appearance at Aftershock Festival in Sacramento to give themselves time to grieve, but chose to keep the Walt Disney World dates because Chad helped build the setlists and was planning to join them on stage.
The Florida pop-punk band shared the news in a statement to fans on social media, opening with a thank-you for the flood of tribute posts since Gilbert’s death. “Anyone who knew Chad knew that he was a massive Disney fan,” the band wrote. “Our shows at Epcot were dates he was so excited for and he was actively planning to be on stage with us there.”
What New Found Glory Said About the EPCOT Shows
According to the band, Gilbert had already worked on the setlists with them and was practicing as much as he could to be ready. The plan from the start was to reveal the EPCOT sets ahead of time, so the band went ahead and posted all six as they prepare to play in his memory.
“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,” the statement reads. The band closed with a line that fans heading to America Gardens Theatre will carry in with them: “Every note we play and every word you sing at Epcot is for Chad.”
On Aftershock, the band kept it simple. They said they rarely cancel shows, but stepping away from the Sacramento festival felt needed.
New Found Glory EPCOT Showtimes and What to Know Before You Go
New Found Glory will play three shows each night at America Gardens Theatre in The American Adventure pavilion, with sets at 5:30 p.m., 6:45 p.m. and 8 p.m. on both September 28 and September 29. The performances are part of the 2026 Eat to the Beat Concert Series at the EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival and are included with valid EPCOT admission.
Seating is first come, first served. Guests who want a guaranteed spot can book an Eat to the Beat Dining Package, which pairs a meal at a participating EPCOT restaurant with seating in a reserved section for a concert that same day. With the shows only days away, check the My Disney Experience app for whatever availability is left.
New Found Glory EPCOT Setlists for All Six Shows
These are the setlists Chad helped build, and the band labeled each one “in honor of Chadball.” Across the six sets, New Found Glory will play 26 different songs, and 17 of them are scheduled for just one show. “My Friends Over You” closes five of the six sets, while Set 2 ends with “All Downhill From Here.”
The band numbered the sets one through six but did not attach showtimes. If they run in order, Sets 1 through 3 would be Monday’s shows and Sets 4 through 6 would be Tuesday’s. We’ll update this story if the band confirms.
EPCOT Set 1
- Something I Call Personality
- All About Her
- A Love Song
- Failure’s Not Flattering
- Dressed to Kill
- Part of Your World
- My Friends Over You
EPCOT Set 2
- Understatement
- Hit or Miss
- Let It Go
- 100%
- It’s Been a Summer
- Sincerely Me
- All Downhill From Here
EPCOT Set 3
- Better Off Dead
- Head on Collision
- Hold My Hand
- Don’t Let Her Pull You Down
- Kiss Me
- All Downhill From Here
- My Friends Over You
EPCOT Set 4
- All Downhill From Here
- Selfless
- Failure’s Not Flattering
- Dressed to Kill
- 100%
- Part of Your World
- My Friends Over You
EPCOT Set 5
- Hit or Miss
- Listen to Your Friends
- King of Wishful Thinking
- Truth of My Youth
- Greatest of All Time
- A Love Song
- My Friends Over You
EPCOT Set 6
- Hit or Miss
- All Downhill From Here
- It Never Snows in Florida
- Laugh It Off
- Failure’s Not Flattering
- Let It Go
- My Friends Over You
A few picks jump out. Set 6 brings back “It Never Snows in Florida” from the band’s 1999 debut, “Nothing Gold Can Stay,” which feels right for a South Florida band playing Walt Disney World. Set 3 is the only place to hear “Head on Collision,” and it also includes a cover of “Kiss Me,” while Set 5 adds a cover of “King of Wishful Thinking.” Newer songs get their moment too, with “100%,” “Laugh It Off” and “A Love Song” spread across the two nights.
The Disney covers are split up as well. “Part of Your World” appears in Sets 1 and 4, and “Let It Go” appears in Sets 2 and 6, so if the sets run in order, each night gets both.
Who Was Chad Gilbert?
Gilbert grew up in Coral Springs, Florida, and formed New Found Glory in 1997 with Jordan Pundik, Steve Klein and Ian Grushka, with drummer Cyrus Bolooki joining soon after. He played lead guitar and sang backing vocals for nearly three decades, and the band broke through to a mainstream audience with 2002’s “Sticks and Stones” and its lead single “My Friends Over You.”
Gilbert had been open with fans about his cancer treatment since 2021. His health kept him off the road in recent years, with guitarists including Four Year Strong’s Dan O’Connor filling in on tour, but he still played on the band’s latest album, “Listen Up!,” released in February. In a joint statement, the band and his wife, Lisa Cimorelli, shared that he passed peacefully in his sleep on the morning of September 20 with his wife and mother at his side. He leaves behind his wife, his daughter, his mother and his brother.
Why EPCOT Fits This Tribute
New Found Glory’s Disney ties run deeper than a love of the parks. The band recorded “Part of Your World” for Walt Disney Records’ 2024 pop-punk covers album “A Whole New Sound,” and its take on “Let It Go” dates back to 2019. The band also played Eat to the Beat during the 2025 Food & Wine Festival, working both Disney songs into those short EPCOT sets.
For a South Florida band and a guitarist who loved Disney, these two nights at EPCOT were circled on the calendar long before this week. Chad wanted to be on that stage. Now the shows will be about him.
Our Take: Get in Line Early and Be Ready to Feel It
If a friend asked us whether to go, we’d say yes, and we’d tell them to get to EPCOT early. These shows could turn into a real celebration of Chad’s life, with a theater full of fans singing every word back to the band. They could also get very emotional, for the band and for everyone in the crowd who grew up on these songs. Both can happen in the same set.
America Gardens Theatre fills up fast for big-name Eat to the Beat acts, and this will not be a normal Monday or Tuesday night at World Showcase. We’d plan to be in line well ahead of the show you want, and if the 5:30 p.m. set is your target, head to the theater in the afternoon. With 17 songs scheduled for just one show, pick your set based on the songs you most want to hear, and if you can, stay for more than one. The deep cuts are there, right next to the hits. Bring water, be kind to the people around you in line, and sing loud. That’s what the band asked for.
After EPCOT, New Found Glory’s only other 2026 date is the Vans Warped Tour stop in Orlando on November 15. Fantasy Land News will update this story with anything new from the band or Disney before the shows. For the full concert calendar, see our 2026 Eat to the Beat lineup, and find more festival coverage in our EPCOT Festivals hub at Fantasy Land News.
Chad Gilbert Helped Plan These EPCOT Shows. Here’s How to Be There When New Found Glory Plays
