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Punk rock outfit New Found Glory’s guitarist, Chad Gilbert, performed on stage for the first time after undergoing emergency brain cancer surgery in February.
Gilbert joined his bandmates at Nashville's Ascend Amphitheater on Monday (June 15). While he was using a wheelchair to maneuver his way around the stage, he still whipped out his Fender Tele Deluxe and made his grand return after months of treatment.
“Monday was such a special night,” he wrote on social media. “I got to play a show in front of my daughter, something I truly never thought I’d get to do again. And my beautiful wife and all the nurses and doctors, my amazing team that have kept me alive through my battle.”
While Gilbert’s cancer battle started in January 2010, more than a decade later – in 2021, to be exact – he was rushed to hospital after being found unresponsive at home.
It was then discovered that he had a pheochromocytoma tumor that had developed into adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) this past February – a rare and aggressive cancer that originates in the outer layer of the adrenal glands.
Still, the 45-year-old guitarist has vowed to continue playing, telling PEOPLE in April that, “I'll be able to play … I'll be sitting in a chair.”
In fact, during the “special night,” Gilbert played two fan favorites, Hit or Miss, and My Friends Over You, the latter taken from the band’s third studio album, 2002’s Sticks and Stones.
“It was very emotional getting up on stage with my band again to play. So many feelings all at once. Here are some photos from the show. If you were there I hope you had a great time. Love you all,” he concluded in his post.
In 2023, Gilbert spoke with Guitar World about finding a source of artistic inspiration post-diagnosis.
“You might think being diagnosed with cancer would stop us in our tracks,” he said. “And yeah, in many ways, it changed things. But when I woke up from my surgery, I had ideas in my head. I spent weeks in the hospital writing this new album, Make the Most of It, because I suddenly had so much to say.
“When the life is nearly sucked out of you, and then you come out the other side alive, you can't help by having your perception altered.”
