It seemed
at times that Saturday night’s Goo Goo Dolls concert at the Robertson Memorial
Field House was going a little too smoothly.
Admit
it: when the show was announced, the first thought that went through
your head was "no way."
First
and foremost, "no way" Bradley could ever persuade an artist of such renown
to come to our humble little campus.
"No way"
the band would actually come after they had been announced, much like last
year’s original commencement speaker.
"No way"
the band would actually make it to Bradley, as it would probably break
up before coming within three states of our school.
But as
the evening progressed, it became increasingly obvious that yes, one of
the biggest bands in the country was really here and was ready to give
Bradley an evening to remember.
And it
went off without a hitch.
The Goo
Goo Dolls, guitarist/vocalist Johnny Rzeznik, bassist/vocalist Robby Takac
and drummer Mike Malinin, were joined onstage for the show by touring band
members Dave Schultz (keyboards) and Nathan December (guitar). They
put on a phenomenal show that kept the crowd entranced the entire time.
The Dolls
hit the stage after an unusual intro consisting of a strange high-pitched
pulse, followed by an incredible piano solo by the band’s touring keyboardist
Dave Schultz.
The band
then hit the stage with "Dizzy," its most recent single and the opening
track of its album "Dizzy Up The Girl." Most of the crowd sang along
with every word, and the mood was properly set.
Without
stopping for a breath, the band then launched into "Long Way Down," the
high-octane opener of its 1995 album "A Boy Named Goo." This track
also was featured on the soundtrack to the movie "Twister."
Within
the first 45 minutes, the Dolls had performed many of their signature songs,
including "Slide" (which is still a staple of modern rock radio after being
in circulation for more than six months) and "Name," their breakthrough
hit from 1995.
This was
brilliantly done, as the band was able to keep fans into the show, even
during the band’s slower songs.
During
the middle portions of the show, the band spotlighted many of the lesser-known
tracks from "Dizzy Up The Girl" and "A Boy Named Goo." A Goo Goo
neophyte could easily tell which tracks were from "Dizzy," though, as the
crowd was unbelievably loud in singing along with these numbers.
The show
entered its home stretch with "We Are the Normal," the track that first
earned the band some popular notoriety and that was co-written by Paul
Westerberg, from 1993’s "Superstar Car Wash" album.
The track
ended with a high-energy jam that even featured a verse from Lynyrd Skynyrd’s
"Sweet Home Alabama."
It ended
abruptly, though, and as the stage was bathed in a purplish hue and a powerful
bass drone replaced the band’s playing, much of the crowd knew it was time
for "Iris."
The Dolls
launched into the track that dominated pop radio last summer and propelled
the "City of Angels" soundtrack to the sales stratosphere, much to the
delight of the throngs in the fieldhouse. Though the band had been
on stage for more than an hour, the crowd was still belting out every word.
After
teasing the show’s ending, the band returned to the stage, performing a
few more tracks before ending with a duet by Rzeznik and Takac that culminated
with Rzeznik destroying his guitar Pete Townshend-style.
The Doll’s
performances were energetic and impressive, and their interaction with
the crowd was something to behold.
Rzeznik
stood still on stage only when it was necessary to accommodate his singing.
At all other times he was thrashing around the stage and bantering with
the crowd, even while the songs were going on around him.
On the
few occasions that the band actually took a break between songs, Rzeznik
filled the rime with humorous anecdotes and often hilarious interaction
with the crowd.
He extolled
on the dangers of messing with N’Sync and The Backstreet Boys, lamented
the band’s loss of the many awards for which they have been nominated recently,
and told a girl who had loudly proclaimed that that night was her 21st
birthday to "go out and buy me some beer."
The band
introductions were amusing in and of themselves, as Rzeznik made fun of
December’s leather pants, stated that Schultz looked like a porn director,
and thoughtfully asked about Takac, "What can you say about a guy who’s
owed you twenty bucks for thirteen years?"
The show
was opened by the Gufs, a Wisconsin-based modern rock outfit that played
a fairly interesting blend of melodic rock.
It featured
a number of tracks from its forthcoming album, "Holiday from You" (which
will be released Tuesday on Atlantic Records), including "Give Back Yourself,"
a song that features backing vocals by Rob Thomas of Matchbox 20 on its
studio version.