Reviewed on Jun 5, 2006 by cathyreay

Okay, I realise this is a punk forum and the Goos have never been and never will be punk. However, this show was unmissable and it seemed only right that I should let the world in on why the Goo Goo Dolls' flame won't ever burn out..

Apprehension is my middle name where melodic/alternative rock is concerned. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely adore this band to the core and several others that fall into the same genre, but I envisioned that seeing them live would be nothing but an all-ages snoozefest.

I was wrong.

Arriving at 5pm, I witnessed a queue of dedicated followers spanning the entire length of one side of Brixton Academy-some of which had been waiting since the wee hours of the morning. This surprised me for several reasons: a) generally speaking, people tend to arrive early only for heavier acts as they feel they’d like to be involved in the mosh b) kids are typically in love with young band members and want to orgasm over them up close (the Goos have collectively passed middle-aged) and, er, c) even after everyone had snail-paced their way inside, the front row was terribly easily accessible. But that’s by the by. As I walked down the firing line of eager faces, I noticed that the audience gathered was probably the most eclectic I’d ever come across. There were fans of the anti-Christ with “Kill Jesus” tattooed on every unblemished body part, crusties in bowler hats and well-ironed corduroys with a +30 of their entire family tree, young girls with too much lip(pie), metalhead boys and even a few scattered Jaheim followers. So strange to think they all shared enough love for one band to travel to an area of one of the highest crime rates in the UK and pay £20 for the privilege... but that bubbling question sank into obscurity as soon as the show began-aka, I “understood”.

The Goos themselves took 40 minutes after their dire support act finished to leisurely flounce their way onstage. Not that it mattered to myself or the crowd, 99% of whom flipped their mobile phones up in the air (I’m guessing the remaining 1% were the oldies that failed to have one), grasped the shoulders of the people in front of them and tried desperately to capture that moment that Johnny Rzeznik took his microphone by the hand and sang the opening line to what would become, to most, a contender of the best concert in their lives. Classics ‘Iris’, ‘Black Balloon’ (at which the audience surprised the band by throwing several black balloons in the air), ‘Slide’ and various others from their most successful records, Gutterflower and Dizzy Up The Girl, were played flawlessly with all the raw passion you could expect from this band and, consequently, to rapturous enthusiasm and applause. Vintage tracks in which guitarist Robby Takac took over on lead vocals were also featured, although they failed to receive much warmth among the crowd members- his voice being harder and less distinctive than Johnny’s. Too greater proportion of the 90 minute set was comprised of tracks from ‘Let Love In’, their newest and by far most cringe-worthy release. While the single ‘Better Days’ is a token GGDs’ song with a soaring, catchy chorus and instantaneously captive beat, the remainder of the album sinks into a vat of ultimate cheese. Moods were lifted though by Johnny’s bashful impromptu interactions with the crowd- at one stage he took a kid’s mobile phone and looked through his phonebook, made a joke that the guy only had his mum in there and then threw it back. But the best moment was yet to come- picking out a dedicated fan’s message written on a flattened cardboard box, he read aloud: “Please give me one of your guitars. PS – Play ‘Name’.” He responded with a simple twirl of his fingers in the air and the opening chord of that song we all know and love. They played ‘Name’, despite it being left out of the group’s setlist for the entire tour, and it was clear on the faces of each person witnessing this that they’d never forget it. People side-stage grew worry lines and lighting technicians frantically scribbled adjustments to their scheduled rays. At one point the crowd took over on lead vocals and practically controlled the entire second-half of the song without being asked to. I dare say it was quite magical.

The only other flaw that lay in the band’s performance was Johnny’s tendency to behave as though he was the centrepiece of his own one-man show. We weren’t given the privilege of being introduced to the other members. He also failed to recognise his fellow guitarists when they tried to play alongside him and Takac, despite being an integral founder of the group, only had room to speak once. Johnny’s stage act therefore is pretty much the only element we can comment on. He pranced about as he always has, like a small child-although with not nearly as much grace or fumbling innocence. His moves were erratic and disjointed and, dare I say it, looked a little silly for someone of his age to be carrying out. Nevertheless, there is something terribly loveable about his oversized, awkward beach boy charm- and I think pretty much everyone there tonight agreed with me. I am a little biased of course… I mean, obviously, all his lyrics were written solely for my benefit… and did you see the way he looked at me during that one song??

See them live before your grandma comes home quoting the above line.

Support Acts:

Director

Related Links:

• www.googoodolls.com

Gig Reviews

Jun 4, 2006 Brixton Academy