Currently on a twentieth anniversary tour of their breakthrough album Dizzy Up The Girl (1998), the Goo Goo Dolls stopped by the Fillmore and reminded the entire audience that good live music never ages. Every song was played without mistake and, to my surprise, all the biggest hits sounded so much better live than in studio. There’s a certain sincere quality that fills the room in slower, more dramatic songs that does not quite show on record, as was most heavily present in the band’s biggest hit, “Iris.” The song’s message of despair really came to life when roughly 1,000 people sang it together.
The band’s less famous songs, though, were less magnificent. In older songs that are supposed to be filled with anger, the needed level of excitement and passion were not entirely on display. Although singing so many hits, something was emotionally missing in the performance that could have made every good song performed great. That being said, bassist Robby Takac never failed to fill the room with energy. I often found myself watching solely him over the rest of the band (including lead singer, guitarist, and frontman John Rzeznik); personally, I think he carried the whole show in terms of performance. While the rest of the band played everything well, Takac had a certain child-like, spastic energy that made him the center of attention. Just by watching Takac, I got a feeling that he was the only one who truly got lost in the magic of their own music — and fully embraced it.
Overall, I wish there was more passion put into the performance itself (excluding Takac — he was fantastic). Like I mentioned before, all the songs were played well; however, they were almost played too well. In other words, there was not nearly enough risk for a great rock and roll concert. A big problem in the show for me was the lack of improvisation and jamming. All the musicians on stage are extremely capable, but they never let that raw musical power show. Ironically, in the middle of the concert, Rzeznik jokingly brought up the fact that he was jealous of the Red Hot Chili Peppers because everybody loves them and “[Anthony Kiedis] doesn’t even have to sing real words.” Yet that is exactly why so many people love the Red Hot Chili Peppers. They are not afraid of acting totally crazy and letting music’s ethereal qualities guide their sound (both live and in studio); more importantly, they are not afraid of messing up. This fearless quality is what separates a band like the Red Hot Chili Peppers from the Goo Goo Dolls. Still, this concert was enjoyable and any fan of the Goo Goo Dolls should definitely try to see it.
Rating: 6.7/10
Written by Shayan Shirkhodai