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        Goo Goo Dolls >> Goo Goo Dolls >> LET THE GOOD TIMES ROLL / review
        
(Message started by: Shannon on Mar 22^nd, 2007, 6:59am)

Title: LET THE GOOD TIMES ROLL / review
Post by Shannon on Mar 22^nd, 2007, 6:59am

LET THE GOOD TIMES ROLL

By GARRETT LYONS, Special to the Olean Times Herald 03/21/2007

ST. BONAVENTURE � It was 7:30 on a Tuesday night at the Reilly Center on the campus of St. Bonaventure University. A line of people was stretching out the door.

Was it a St. Bonaventure men�s basketball game? No. It was The Goo Goo Dolls� return to the Reilly Center.

Tuesday night marked the third visit that Buffalo�s most famous export since the chicken wing made to St. Bonaventure over the past eight years. This time, Goo Goo Dolls are coming off of the new album �Let Love In,� which features singles �Better Days,� �Let Love In� and �Stay With You.�

The opening act for the Goo Goo Dolls was San Diego based alt-rockers Augustana. Augustana possesses a smooth melodic style that is a cross between the mellow instrumentation of The Verve with the vocal style of classic U2. The sound was generic three-chord alt-rock � nothing distinctive, although a pleasant listen, but it�s hardly the perfect opening for a group like the Goo Goo Dolls.

Augustana�s stage presence was almost non-existent. The group simply played their instruments and sang without much in the way of crowd interaction. This didn�t stop the crowd from giving the group a warm ovation after the band�s set of mellow rock punctuated with hit single �Boston.�

They are still a young band with musical talent and they have promise in the world of alt-rock � if they can expand their musical repertoire away from the trap that many young bands fall into. They replace varying the song structure with using an array of instruments to carry the same chords.

Give them a bit more time to develop and the stagecraft will come.
Happily for the near-capacity crowd the RC, The Goo Goo Dolls came out with a burst of energy. Instead of intro music like a lot of bands use, The Goo Goo Dolls came on stage with a seizure-inducing display of rapidly flashing lights and static riffs that worked their way up to ridiculous speed. Lead vocalists Johnny Rzeznik and Robby Takac stormed onto stage and tore into an incredibly high-energy �Everything You Are� that inspired massive sing-a-longs and tremendous amounts of crowd surfing that carried out throughout the entire show.

The energy that The Goo Goo Dolls burst onto the stage with carried through the show. The crowd kept moving and jumping for every song. The band fed off the crowd�s energy and used it to enhance their veteran stagecraft.

Rzeznik and Takac never stood still throughout the entire set. They bounded across stage. Takac posed for the many digital cameras in use on the floor. Rzeznik even started talking to one of the many crowd surfers who were constantly working their way towards the stage.

The upward spiral of energy between the band and crowd reached a feverish level and led Rzeznik to comment to the crowd, �You guys are just ... insane tonight.�

Musically speaking, this was one of the best live shows the Reilly Center has hosted. Arena acoustics are a tricky business, with sound waves bouncing off everything from rafters to scoreboards. From the floor, the acoustics were the best I�ve heard in the RC. Other bands come off muddy sounding with constant reverb. But, this Live Nation-produced concert had clean, almost studio quality sound.

The Goo Goo Dolls were playing heavy bass and hard drums and there was zero reverb. It felt like a large arena show was tucked nicely into the Reilly Center.

The musical highlight of the night was �Iris.� A studio version features intricate string arrangements and perfectly timed drums. This was pulled off flawlessly with the mandolin pairing with the electric bass and acoustic guitar in a way that added a whole new richness to the already deep instrumentals.

The Goo Goo Dolls played eight tracks off of �Let Love In,� interweaving them between fan favorites like �Name,� �Black Balloons,� �Broadway� and �Slide.� The old tracks were well received by the crowd, but the songs of �Let Love In� not so much. Sure, these tracks were still good, sounding great live. But, with the exception of Supertramp cover and encore closer �Give a Little Bit,� none of them impacted with the crowd. The sing-a-longs basically stopped. Even the crowd surfing slowed down.

Fortunately, the fan-favorite tracks kept the crowd in the show.

The Goo Goo Dolls returned home to Western New York and didn�t disappoint. Yes, some of the new tracks lagged the show a bit, but The Goo Goo Dolls showed off their musical talent and veteran stagecraft.

(Garrett Lyons of Allegany writes a music column for Out & About, an Olean Times Herald entertainment supplement.)

�Bradford Publishing 2007

http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=18110312&BRD=2725&PAG=461&dept_id=562746&rfi=6

Title: Re: LET THE GOOD TIMES ROLL / review
Post by Shannon on Mar 22^nd, 2007, 7:05am

Quote:

Lead vocalists Johnny Rzeznik and Robby Takac stormed onto stage and tore into an incredibly high-energy �Everything You Are� that inspired massive sing-a-longs and tremendous amounts of crowd surfing that carried out throughout the entire show.

Ummmm...."Dizzy" ... lol

Overall a pretty good review. Interesting he picked up on the lack of enthusiasm for LLI songs. Or was he just projecting his own feelings? I didn't notice any less enthusiasm for LLI songs at my shows.

Title: Re: LET THE GOOD TIMES ROLL / review
Post by DWG on Mar 22^nd, 2007, 1:22pm

I was wondering that the heck song that was...

"The old tracks were well received by the crowd, but the songs of 'Let Love In' not so much."
This reminds me of when Jon Stewart says..."mmm...notsomuch". lol

Sounds like this crowd would've crowd-surfed even if the entertainment had been Celine Dion. They were just doing it for the sake of doing it.

Title: Re: LET THE GOOD TIMES ROLL / review
Post by nmf016 on Mar 22^nd, 2007, 6:04pm

It's a college in the middle of nowhere. �There were two types of people there. �Fans. �And stupid obnoxious college students who got extra drunk because they didn't even have to drive to the concert. �So of course the crowd was rough.

Have fun at your college GA gig. �:D

Title: Re: LET THE GOOD TIMES ROLL / review
Post by DWG on Mar 23^rd, 2007, 12:29am

on 03/22/07 at 18:04:29, nmf016 wrote:

Have fun at your college GA gig. :D

yo, I fit right in. ::)

Title: Re: LET THE GOOD TIMES ROLL / review
Post by nmf016 on Mar 23^rd, 2007, 12:38am

::Looks at sister's wardrobe to see what the hip kids wear these days::

Throw on a short skirt over leggings, and then wear 3-4 layered shirts and flats. You must buy all of this clothing at American Eagle or Hollister. Bonus point if you have a popped collar. Consume lots of beer or at least carry a beer in your hand.

You'll fit right in.

Title: Re: LET THE GOOD TIMES ROLL / review
Post by DWG on Mar 24^th, 2007, 12:18am

That is exactly how most of the girls in the crowd were dressed...minus the popped collar.

No bonus points for them.

Title: Re: LET THE GOOD TIMES ROLL / review
Post by nmf016 on Mar 24^th, 2007, 12:25am

Hmmm. Perhaps the popped collar is on it's way out. I'm sure something equally ridiculous is on its way 'in'.