Live Review: Yellowcard + New Found Glory + Plain White T’s @ Coca-Cola Roxy, Atlanta, GA - May 6, 2026

3 days ago
3 min read

Musician plays electric guitar on stage with bright spotlights and speaker wall. Drummer visible behind on screen with "Yellowcard" on drums. — Yellowcard photo by Chris Collett

There are certain tours that instantly transport you back to a very specific point in your life the second they get announced, and Yellowcard bringing New Found Glory and Plain White T’s out on the “Up Up Down Down Tour” definitely felt like one of those moments. The lineup alone had the Coca-Cola Roxy packed early before the first band even touched the stage, with fans showing up ready to relive an entire era of pop-punk that shaped a lot of people’s teenage years.

Atlanta’s weather had other plans though.

A storm rolled through The Battery while fans waited outside for doors to open, leaving crowds standing in heavy rain before finally making their way into the venue. To their credit, venue staff and the Live Nation crew were handing out ponchos while everyone waited things out, which honestly became part of the experience by the end of the night. Even soaked from the rain, nobody really seemed in a bad mood. If anything, it almost added to the anticipation surrounding the first night of the tour.

Musician passionately plays a yellow guitar on stage, singing into a microphone. Vibrant backdrop with colorful amplifiers, energetic mood. — Plain White T's photo by Chris Collett

Plain White T’s opened the night with a much more stripped-down setup than what would follow later, but their fans were fully into it from the start. Their set leaned more into the emotional and melodic side of the early 2000s alternative scene, creating a really fun contrast compared to the energy New Found Glory would bring afterward. Even without massive production or flashy visuals, the crowd carried a lot of the songs themselves, turning the room into an early singalong before the night fully escalated.

Then New Found Glory hit the stage and immediately changed the energy in the building.

Rock band performing on stage with colorful geometric background. Singer gestures energetically while guitarist plays. Dynamic and vibrant scene. — New Found Glory photo by Chris Collett

The entire floor turned into nonstop movement as the band ripped through a set packed with fans bouncing shoulder to shoulder from front to back. No matter how many times you see New Found Glory, they somehow still play with the same energy they had twenty years ago. One of the most entertaining moments of the night came during their punk version of “Part of Your World” from The Little Mermaid, which somehow turned into one giant singalong inside the Roxy. It was goofy, chaotic, and honestly the perfect representation of what makes New Found Glory shows so fun in the first place.

Musician jumping with a violin on stage, near speaker lights. Drummer in the background. Energetic performance with dynamic lighting. — Yellowcard photo by Chris Collett

By the time Yellowcard took over, the entire stage production shifted into full retro-gaming overload. The “Up Up Down Down” tour name references the famous Konami Code from classic Nintendo games, and the band completely committed to the theme. A giant Nintendo controller stretched across the backdrop while massive walls of speakers framed the stage like an old-school arena rock setup. In the center sat a huge screen constantly cycling through classic movie clips, retro video games, VHS-style visuals, and old-school graphics throughout the set.

It honestly felt less like a standard concert setup and more like somebody turned an entire early-2000s basement hangout into a live show.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JhNvLmnOZmQ

Yellowcard ft Good Charlotte - Bedroom Posters

Yellowcard balanced all of that nostalgia with a setlist that reminded everyone why these songs connected with so many people in the first place. “Way Away,” “Lights and Sounds,” “Only One,” and “Ocean Avenue” all hit exactly as hard as you would hope they would. Ryan Key had the crowd singing so loudly at points that he barely needed to handle parts of the choruses himself, while Sean Mackin’s violin cut through the entire mix and reminded everyone why Yellowcard always stood apart from the rest of the scene musically.

For the first night of a major tour, the whole thing honestly ran surprisingly smooth once the music started. Between the weather outside, the retro-heavy production, and three bands that genuinely looked excited to be there, the night felt more like a celebration than just another nostalgia package tour. Watching an entire room scream every word to “Ocean Avenue” after standing in the rain beforehand felt like the perfect way to kick off this run. If you want to get your nostalgia on, you definitely dont want to miss this one.