The Goo Goo Dolls played to a sold-out show at the Beacon Theatre in NYC. Thanks to Absolute Goo, (http://absolutegoo.com/) the largest fan-run Goo Goo Dolls site, I was there to capture it.
From the minute the Goo Goo Dolls stepped on stage, the crowd was on their feet and arms in the air. I've seen GGD many times in the past but this last tour was different. Johnny and Robby kept the audience engaged, constantly moving around on stage, never knowing where they were going to end up.
They started the night with a single off their latest CD Boxes, Over and Over. Throughout the night they mixed in some of the oldies such as Name, Slide and everyone's favorite, Iris. Rzeznik treated the crowd to an acoustic performance of Sympathy, where he belted out the vocals effortlessly. I think everyone was in a trance at this point.
The night was filled with great music and entertaining stories, including how Johnny's wife dragged him to a concert (I won't say who). He then asked the crowd "what guy was dragged here by his wife and doesn't really want to be here?" and he proceeded to joke with the guy for the next few minutes.
It's great to see the guys still having fun on stage and when they interact with the audience like this, it makes the entire experience that much more memorable.
SafetySuit opened the night and if you haven't seen them live yet, GO! Their music and stage presence is engaging and they too know how to put on a show. While singing the words "High five the next person I see" from their song "Looking Up", I notice Doug lean over the stage with his hand stretched out. What's a girl to do but give him his high five! (I haven't washed my hand since). Then he jumps off the stage, running down the aisle taking selfies with the crowd, walked through the rows of seats and back to the front of the theatre where he lunged back on stage. SafetySuit has announced they will be headlining a tour later this year and they rightfully deserve it!
Again, I just want to give my thanks to Absolute Goo for giving me this opportunity. If you're a GGD fan and haven't yet heard of Absolute Goo (maybe you were living under a rock), I highly suggest you follow them on social media. They provide up to the minute news on everything Goo related, including reviews, pictures and videos from the latest shows. They also give fans the opportunity to win GGD memorabilia and other swag.
For the past 13 years, Absolute Goo has held online auctions to benefit Compass House - Buffalo, NY's only center for runaway and homeless teens. This past auction, over $120,000 was raised, which pays for food, shelter and counseling. They do an amazing job every year.