90's hit-makers wow nostalgic audience
As a girl who remembers walking through high school to the sweet melodies of “Dizzy Up the Girl,” it was a dream come to attend the Goo Goo Dolls’ “Something for the Rest of Us” concert.
By Elizabeth KessellThe Guardsman
As a girl who remembers walking through high school to the sweet melodies of “Dizzy Up the Girl,” it was a dream come to attend the Goo Goo Dolls’ “Something for the Rest of Us” concert. The Aug. 26 concert at the Sleep Train Pavilion in Concord saw the band playing a combination old favorites and songs from their new album. The musical performance was impeccable and the accompanying light show quite impressive. As the night wore on and the beer and wine continued to flow, a few people broke out lighters for the traditional “slow song” salute. It became increasingly clear that I wasn’t the only long-time fan when the crowd began to sing “Iris” and “Slide” in near-perfect unison. Some may recall the Goo Goo Dolls with vague memories dredged from the ‘90s. Back then, no one could decide if the Goo Goo Dolls were “pop” or “alternative,” and in a way, the debate was understandable given their wild hair and an inordinate fondness for minor-chord progressions; juxtaposed with the 18 straight weeks “Iris” spent as the Billboard’s number 1 single. Regardless of what you label them, they seem to have a staying power nearly unmatched in contemporary American popular music, as demonstrated by nine studio albums and the ability to appear out of nowhere after nearly ten years. The 24 years front man and song writer Johnny Rzeznik’s spent in rock ‘n’ roll haven’t diminished his stage presence at all. Band members hardly seem to have aged in the nearly 25 years since they released their first album.
