Pictures at bottom...
Thank God this concert was more Sunfest than Rainfest. The Goos made it even hotter. I still can't believe how easy it was to meet them. I loved this concert, it was so Gooey! I met the whole gang before, during and after the concert. I feel extremely lucky. I met other Goo fans also, Stefanie & Danielle. Johnny looked somewhat tired :( Robby looked super, he really hyped up the show for us, I'll tell ya. I already knew what their tour bus looked like so as soon as I saw it arrive I told Stefanie "That's their bus!" and the excitement began. We met them first when the bus pulled in, it was around 3 pm, right before sound check. Stef (hey girl!!) and I were waiting outside the fence for about half an hour, we waved at them as they got out the bus and they came to us. Mike and Nathan came out first, Mike was wearing a purple t-shirt. He was signing someone's CD sleeves then I got a pic with him. Nathan was wearing the black Rolling Stones tongue tour t-shirt. I got a pic with him too.
Then out the bus came Johnny. He had on a cowboy hat, purple shades, a black tank top, green cargo shorts and airwalks I think. I said "Hi Johnny..." He looked surprised and slowly walked towards us. I forgot what I was going to say to him, so I just put my arms around his neck and he hugged me tight and gave me a warm kiss on my cheek :) It was surreal. He asked "How you've been?" I said I had brought him a present I wanted to give him. He was curious and wanted to know what I got him. He's like, "You got me a KISS pillow?!" (Yeah I did). I was so nervous, I was shaking, but somehow I managed to give it to him. All I could say was "Yeah, it's for your head..." while he's squeezing it and putting his head on it. He looked at it again and smiled. I was so happy he liked it, it made my day. He thanked me with another big hug :) then said he was gonna treasure it forever. I was in heaven! I asked if I could take a picture of him, he said I should get in the pic so he pulled me close to him. I got a couple of pics with him, including one in front of the bus. He wanted to get everyone in that pic, but only Dave S. came in. Someone complained "Another pic?" and Johnny whispered "Sure, I love this girl." This girl's head wasn't even there, lol! He autographed my other DUTG CD, past concert ticket stubs, and thanked me again. Then he walked to the stage to do sound check. I was in utter bliss.
I had but one minute to catch my breath, when out the bus came Robby! He had really cool yellow sunglasses on, and his hair looked orange. I gave him a hug and asked him for a pic. I brought him a present too, it was a Forrest Gump black t-shirt with a yellow happy face in the middle and the words "Stuff Happens." He liked it and thanked me for it. I was so happy to put a smile on my favorite guys, they are so wonderful and deserve the best. I had to ask him about one of his tattoos on his right arm, the one that looks sort of like a Chinese star. He said he saw the pattern in Australia and liked it so he got it done there. He thanked me again for the gift and walked to the stage. Meeting them went by so fast, but I'm still on a hill from it. A few minutes later it started to pour. That helped us cool down. We wanted to hear sound check, but in the works the rain got heavier. Stefanie went to her car and I decided to hang out there, but they only did a few songs anyway.
The gates finally opened at 5 pm. We were among the first in line, so we got awesome seats on Johnny's side in third row. The show began around 6 pm. First opening band was Lee Nestor. That girl can ROCK! And she's got the hair for it. Nice act over all, she sounded great, kinda reminded me of my favorite singer Meredith Brooks and she looked exactly like my favorite actress Sandra Bullock, so yeah I did like her a lot. Check her out if you could. Not many people got into her music, probably because it was still early and the audience wasn't filled yet. I went over to the fence once her act was done to give her my best compliments and wishes and got a pic with her. She was very sweet.
I went back to my seat and waited for the next band: Dovetail Joint. Meanwhile, a flock of girls kept holding up signs against the fence to get the Goos' attention, one of their signs read: "I'll Kiss Your Ass for a Backstage Pass." I found out it was Jaime's sign :) It was hilarious! Suddenly Stef and I see Mike and Nathan walking in the crowd towards the lighting check booth! So many people didn't even know who they were! Danielle wanted to meet them, so we went to see if she can get an autograph and a pic with them. We finally did when they walked back. Nathan, Dave and Mike came to the fence during the Dovetail Joint performance to sign programs, t-shirts, anything, shake hands and take pics with the fans, I thought that was neato. I got another pic with Nathan and Dave there. Dovetail Joint kicked ass, especially the bass player :) His hair kept my eyes on them, it's bright yellow and it glowed. I got to meet two of them afterwards and got a pic too. They ended at 7:45 and the Goos were scheduled to perform at 8:45, so we had an hour to wait.
I decided to move to the reserved seating area because I had seats there but all the way in the back. I took a shot moving closer to the stage. I was able to get first and front row, right in front of Robby :) I had the most perfect view I've ever had at a concert. I really enjoyed this concert partly because the crowd was mature and not as wild as the previous ones I've been to. People were very considerate with each other and still had fun. Johnny started off with Dizzy as usual. He covered his beautiful eyes with the cowboy hat for most of the show (?) I didn't like that. At least he took it off for like 5 seconds at the end when he vowed to the crowd. He didn't interact much, no jokes and no funny stories were told :( Still he sang his heart out and I admire him for it. He just seemed kinda tired to me, like he needs a break. A few of his songs sounded different, he brought the notes down too often. Robby was the star of the show definitely, he sang spectacular. He made a bunch of funny looking faces at us, he wandered around the stage jumping maneuvers in the air! He's so full of energy, it's contagious. I got chills from head to toe! Best of all was Robby and Johnny together in the spotlight, I got pictures of that. Robby made me laugh more than once, I was having so much fun! I was singing along all of his songs, he noticed me so he smiled at me back to back. I felt so special :)
This was the set list as I remember it: Dizzy, Long Way Down, Slide, Lazy Eye, Full Forever, Bullet Proof, Flat Top, 2nd Time Around, Name, January Friend, Iris. Then came back with Just The Way You Are, Burnin' Up, and 2 Days in Feb to finish up. Johnny didn't bother breaking his guitar, he let it fall on the floor and walked away. (End of concert).
I went over to the other side to look for my new friends Stef and Danielle, I found them in the backstage area where the buses were parked. Johnny went inside the bus and Robby, Mike, Dave and Nathan got ready to leave. The bus pulled out and stopped right in the middle of the street because Mike yelled "Stop the bus!" LOL. So Mike headed towards the bus and some girls went to get him for his autograph. I took as many pictures as I could, I had to finish the roll of film. I asked Stef to take a pic of me in front of the bus, and both of us did. We're making signs at the bus driver and he looked at us like we're crazy, hehe, but in a flash we saw Johnny coming out the bus again! Obviously he got swarmed with girls once he stepped out. He signed some autographs and then Dave the manager pushed him back inside the bus to leave, so we waved him good-bye. The bus left without Robby and we never saw him again. I had an outrageous time I will never forget. Sorry about this review being so long and detailed, I had to write it all down! I hope Johnny gets better soon, and also hope to see them at Hard Rock Live once he is. Thank you Goo Goo Dolls, come back to Florida, we love you.
Robby and John
John
Robby
John
Robby and John
Robby and John
Robby
John
John
Robby and John
Robby and John