New Found Glory will play their first-ever live shows at EPCOT in Walt Disney World Resort in memory of Chad Gilbert, the founding guitarist and songwriter who died on Sept. 20 after battling brain cancer. The band announced the dates while confirming it has pulled out of Aftershock Festival in Sacramento, which begins next week.

The Florida pop-punk band shared a statement on social media thanking fans for their support since Gilbert's death. "Seeing how deeply he touched so many lives means everything to us, and we know he would be so proud to see it," they wrote.

The decision to cancel Aftershock did not come easily. "To give ourselves time to process and grieve, we have made the decision to cancel our upcoming appearance at Aftershock Festival. We rarely cancel shows but this felt needed," the band said. "Anyone who knew Chad knew that he 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."

Gilbert had been preparing for the EPCOT performances until the end. According to his bandmates, he worked with them on the set lists and was "practicing as much as possible to be ready." The band explained that proceeding with the shows honors his wishes: "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."

The band also published the set list, which includes fan favorites "My Friends Over You," "Dressed to Kill" and "Hit and Miss." The message closed with a dedication: "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."

New Found Glory and Gilbert's wife, Lisa Cimorelli, announced his death on Sept. 20, six months after the guitarist revealed his brain cancer diagnosis. He had initially been diagnosed with liver cancer in 2021.

Gilbert founded New Found Glory in 1997 at 17 alongside Jordan Pundik, Ian Grushka and Stephen Klein. He wrote most of the band's songs, including the pop-punk staples "My Friends Over You" and "Head on Collision." Beyond his own band, he contributed guest vocals to a track on Fall Out Boy's From Under the Cork Tree and guitar riffs on that band's 2007 song "The Take Over, the Breaks Over."

In the statement announcing his death, his bandmates credited Gilbert with shaping the group across more than a dozen albums and countless world tours. "Through more than a dozen albums, endless tours around the world, and more accolades than we ever could have imagined, Chad challenged all of us to grow as musicians, performers, and human beings," they wrote. "His influence will always be part of New Found Glory and his spirit will be felt on every stage we stand on, with every note we play."

The EPCOT sets will now serve as the band's first performances without Gilbert — a tribute staged at the place he had planned to stand beside them.