A week into the Big Night Out Tour and it could not have been a better night for Goo Goo Dolls to take the stage at White Oak Amphitheater in Greensboro, NC. Well, front-man John Rzeznik may disagree on that seeing as he was wearing a medical boot and had to sit on a very uncomfortable equipment box the entire night due to an injury he sustained by “being a jerk,” he said.
Although, he did agree the weather was especially enjoyable and was thankful it had cooled off compared to the prior shows that week.
When I got to the venue, I found the usual tailgaters having a drink and mingling with one another before joining the entry line. Speaking of the line, it formed a never-ending box shape instead of wrapping all through the parking lot. I was impressed with how quickly it moved; staff was doing lawn chair checks as patrons made their way to the entry gate where multiple screening points kept the line moving. Once inside, the merch booth was packed and tour opener O.A.R. was selling a goodie bag that included a backpack, stickers, koozie, a shirt, and other cool trinkets.
O.A.R. casually took the stage and started the night with “City on Down.” That old saying of “you saved the best for last” is true when it comes to saxophonist Jerry DePizzo, the last member to join O.A.R. His iron lungs had the crowd screaming when he played his saxophone, and it created a whole new level of energy and excitement to the already fabulous set. That guy doesn’t seem to need to take any breaths and can make the sax do anything he wants; his talents are unparalleled.
During the introduction to “I Go Through,” singer and guitarist Marc Roberge said the band held their first performance at their 8th grade talent show before making it big in the school’s cafeteria. They wrote this song as a tribute to their family and friends for allowing them to be on the road for so many of their early years. He repeatedly thanked Goo Goo Dolls for having them on the tour. Roberge explained they make songs about their family, friends, and experiences. The high highs and low lows, and in the middle is all the real stuff of life. This is what “Peace” is about – teamwork – two people waking up after a turbulent time and still feeling like you’ve got this.
Bassist Benj Gershman – decked out in a hat, shades, and had a blue bandana tied around his neck – would take videos of the audience and band members in between songs. He rarely moved from his spot and didn’t dance around much (except during “Hey Girl” when he was running in place), but he was definitely scoping out the crowd, taking it all in from the big stage. Drummer Chris Culos set the rhythm onstage with his variety of beats taking shape as he pounded on the drums.
Guitarist Richard On, and touring member/keyboardist Mikel Paris, were on one side of the stage, groovin’ to the music, dancing around, and pointing to the sky while they played. On had some unique facial expressions, which were a mixture of enjoyment, concentration, and gratitude. In a very touching moment, he encouraged a little boy to come up to the edge of the stage so he could throw him his guitar pic mid song. During their last song of the night, “That Was a Crazy Game of Poker,” Paris put on a cool solo with a bit of a reggae island sound happening. O.A.R. gave an amazing performance and you could tell they were as happy to be there as we were.
Nighttime fell upon us, allowing the deep blue stage lights to grab our attention before a multitude of TV screens playing various news stories filled the back wall as Goo Goo Dolls ventured to the stage. The news channels abruptly disappeared and the band broke into “Broadway,” which was interrupted midway through so Rzeznik could get more comfortable on his box. While getting situated better, he said, “Don’t ask any questions alright? Gotta get my ass right on this. Thank you for coming out. We’re gonna have an awesome time tonight; you and me, and my gimpy ass leg.”
They played one of the bigger setlists I’ve seen at a concert – 24 songs in total. “Over and Over,” “Slide,” and “Big Machine” got things going. During “Here Is Gone,” the blue and white lights took on a starry effect, almost as if you were out in the middle of nowhere looking up at the open sky. Then slowly, and seemingly out of nowhere, black balloons started appearing all through the venue. The fans had fun trying to keep them from hitting the ground while they sang along to “Black Balloon.”
Drummer Craig Macintyre was behind a Plexiglas shield most of the night and guitarist Brad Fernquist was on the other side. Founding member and bassist/vocalist Robby Takac was in front of Macintyre, but he bounced all over the stage. Every time I looked at him, he had a smile from ear to ear on his face or was laughing; his energy and enthusiasm were contagious. They played their first song off their newest album, “Chaos in Bloom,” called “Yeah, I Like You.” Rzeznik and Takac took turns singing during the night, with Takac performing “Lucky Star” amidst red and pink lights, before Rzeznik sang “Miracle Pill.” When they perform together, it’s almost as if you’re watching two friends – two extremely talented friends – goofing off.
During “Sympathy,” it was just Rzeznik and Jim McGorman (touring keyboardist) onstage with Rzeznik lit by a bright spotlight shining down on him. Next, it was time for a different take of “Lost” in which Rzeznik introduced us to the future of music, Tapey. Tapey, named by his daughter, is anything but new; it’s actually “an old piece of shit that still works,” but it adds missing elements to this one song without the need of having extra band members. They played several crowd favorites next; “Come to Me,” their first major hit song, “Name,” “Run All Night,” and “Better Days.”
When it was time for the encore, Rzeznik decided that he’s wasn’t going to do all the hoopla that goes into an encore, maybe because he didn’t want to try to get comfortable on that box again. They brought out Roberge from O.A.R. to play a Tom Petty cover of “I Won’t Back Down.” Before the final song of the night, Rzeznik said, “Now, you knew we were gonna play this right?” and the iconic chords to “Iris” were heard before he went into one of the most powerful ballads in alternative rock. He turned the microphone to the crowd so that we could sing along with him as the song came to a close.
Goo Goo Dolls should rename their tour to An Epic Night Out Tour because it was as awesome as he said it would be. At one point, Rzeznik exclaimed, “That was awesome. I mean you guys were awesome. We were… No, fuck all the fake modesty, we were just awesome! Some days not so much but that was pretty cool!” And they were awesome!
You can catch this tour through the end of September and SoCal residents should free up September 6th and make plans to head out to FivePoint Amphitheatre to experience the almost four decades of musical perfection known as Goo Goo Dolls (with special guest O.A.R. of course).
