Lifehouse Concert Reviews

[gogonutz]

I know some of you already posted reviews for Lifehouse, during the GGD tour (and before). I was just thinking to collect them in a thread.

Muskegon, MI review

Link

Crowd turns out for Lifehouse, Goo Goo Dolls
Saturday, June 30, 2007
By Bill Iddings
[e-mail]

A knee injury wasn't about to stop soccer player Lynn Zylman from getting a kick out of the Goo Goo Dolls.

In a match two days ago, the 36-year-old Rockford resident tore an anterior cruciate ligament.

Friday night, however, Zylman, supporting herself on two crutches, was lame but game for the Muskegon Summer Celebration concert headlined by the national rock bands Goo Goo Dolls and Lifehouse.

"Actually, I'm more of a Lifehouse fan," Zylman said. "I don't know a lot about Goo Goo Dolls, but they're a lot of fun, I hope."

Before coming to Heritage Landing, Zylman had laid down one rule for the friends who accompanied her.

"I told them I can't dance," she said. "I'll just sit and enjoy it."

Sitting or standing, most of the concert-goers who packed the venue nearly to its 17,500 capacity enjoyed what they saw and heard.

Muskegon residents Barb Udell, 42, and her 48-year-old husband, Tom, were among those gaga for the Goo Goos.

"If I could, I would be on stage," Barb Udell said. "I love their guitar playing, the singing, their writing."

To which Tom Udell added, "I like that rough edge they've got, but it's not too loud. You can understand the lyrics."

The Udells both know music. She sings, and he, at age 17, began playing guitar with The Automatics, a now-disbanded local band that Tom Udell jokes about being "the Rolling Stones of Muskegon."

About the only thing that didn't show up for Friday's concert was a cloud. A clear, sunny sky greeted the fans and bands, starting with impressive sets by the West Michigan group Dutch Henry and a national newcomer, singer/songwriter Colbie Caillat. After her set, Caillat signed autographs for a line of new fans that stretched for well over 50 people and kept replenishing itself.

By the time Lifehouse started kicking it, the throng pushing toward the Main Stage was bouncing up and down and punching skyward.

Friday afternoon, Mitch Berouin, 30, dealt with Goo Goo Dolls founding members Robby Takac and John Rzeznik. Berouin worked the studio board at Muskegon radio station WKBZ (1090 AM) while, on site at Heritage Landing, the "Talkin' Muskegon" program hosted Takac and Rzeznik.

"(Takac) was interested in local politics and other things we were talking about," Berouin said. "Then one of the guys told him, hey, forget politics, Summer Celebration is the one time of year when we get things right around here."

Lee Surre, 50, of Muskegon, was as just as impressed with Caillat than anything else he heard Friday.

"She's got that voice that's great," Surre said. "A sweet voice."

Of course, Goo Goo Dolls was the main attraction, one that the band's followers take seriously. Several fans, although declining to identify themselves for attribution, made no bones about their displeasure with a Friday story in The Chronicle story that misidentified two of the group's song titles.

"The big hit you're thinking of is 'Iris,' not 'Irish,' " one thirtysomething admonished a Chronicle reporter. "And that song in (the upcoming movie) 'Transformers,' that's 'Before It's Too Late,' not 'Without You Here.' "

Point taken.

Marlena Hartkorn earlier in the day e-mailed similar concerns.

" ... I'm sure you'll hear from other Goo fans," she wrote. " ... We're very protective when it comes to our boys."

The Goos held center stage beginning around 9 p.m., holding most of their audience close and attentive. A phalanx of young girls, most of whom appeared too young to have been born when Goo Goo Dolls first gained national attention in the 1980s, draped their folded arms over the barrier separating the crowd from the stage.

Still, some folks wandered off to other places.

"I'm going down to the Tiki Bar and hear (the local band) 23º North," said Surre while Lifehouse was still playing its set. "Yeah, we've all heard them a lot, but ... "

[gogonutz]

Jones Beach Review

Link

Lifehouse / Goo Goo Dolls @ Jones Beach
July 23, 2007

Event type: Concert

Date: 2007-07-21
Rating: 3 out of 5

Let’s just start off by acknowledging just how beautiful Jones Beach Amphitheater can be on a warm, clear summer night. We’re talking perfect weather and even a family of swans swimming up to the orchestra seats between sets. Now that’s beautiful.

That being said, tonight’s concert felt like three separate parts that each probably would have worked well if they were part of different tours.

Colbie Caillat opened with a brief set while most people were arriving. In the time it took to buy a an overpriced Lifehouse hoodie or a Goo Goo Dolls t-shirt with a red cross on it, she and her band were done playing. And no one really knew who she was or what she had just sung about.

Lifehouse played a brilliant and inspiring set that really set the mood for the evening. They got the crowd involved from the beginning and played all their hit songs.

Watching them play brought back memories of why I liked the band in the first place. They were enthusiastic and genuinely into the music they were playing, which the crowd relished. “Hanging on a Moment” was especially good.

The Goo Goo Dolls, however, were a different story. They seemed a little disjointed and it took a while for lead singer Johnny Rzeznik to even address the audience, although when he did he brought the crowd right back into things.

“Name,” “Slide,” and other big hits got everyone on their feet and dancing around, but pretty much everything in between provided a chance to sit down and ponder why the other songs all sounded pretty similar. Its never a good sign when during a set you have ample time to wonder what the girl in the section next to you sitting in a wheelchair with her leg in a cast did to hurt her leg, okay?

As the momentum and excitment shifted from Lifehouse’s inspiring performance to the uneven and piecemeal Goo Goo Dolls set, I started getting a bit listless and ended up leaving before the encore, hearing “Broadway” on my way out to beat the traffic and totally missing “Iris.”
# Newsday review by Mac Randall

[gogonutz]

Another Jones Beach Review

Link

Review: Rzeznik and Goo Goo Dolls at Jones Beach
BY MAC RANDALL | Special to Newsday
July 23, 2007

When the Goo Goo Dolls started making records in the late 1980s, they were a loud power-pop band with a punky edge. Then in the mid-'90s, they hit on a new concept - sensitive ballads oriented around acoustic rather than electric guitars - and the result was blockbuster success.

Judging by some comments frontman Johnny Rzeznik made from the Jones Beach stage during its Saturday night concert, the group still feels uncomfortable about that turn of events.

Before launching into "Name," the 1995 single that was both the Goo Goos' first exploration of their lighter side and their first megahit, Rzeznik said, "This next song opened a lot of doors for us. It closed a few others behind us too, but hey, what can you do?"

More than a decade has passed since this crucial juncture in the band's history, so you'd think Rzeznik and his mates would have gotten less touchy about it over time. Not a chance. Clearly even at this late date, they need to keep proving to their critics and old fans - and maybe to themselves, too - that no, they didn't actually get soft and sell out.

And so they played one long puzzling non sequitur of a show, veering between faithful renditions of the hit singles everyone came to hear and frantic attempts to rock hard. Several of the latter were helmed by bassist Robby Takac, the Hyde to Rzeznik's Jekyll.

Rzeznik is ruggedly handsome, while Takac is so unkempt you could easily mistake him for a homeless man. Rzeznik's voice is smooth and powerful, while Takac's is pinched and unpleasant. And where Rzeznik works the crowd with an easy flair, Takac puts out so much excess energy that it's comical, almost a parody of a rock musician.

Going from the Rzeznik ballad "Become" to the Takac rocker "Tucked Away" was a strangely schizophrenic experience, like putting Bryan Adams on the same stage with Kiss.

Toward the end of the night, the Goo Goos finally got into a consistent groove with songs such as "Let Love In," "Acoustic #3," "Broadway" and their biggest hit, 1998's "Iris." Perhaps not coincidentally, Rzeznik took the lead on every one.

But the show's most lasting impressions weren't especially positive. The Goo Goo Dolls, it seems, are suffering from a lack of solidarity, and they're doing what they think they should be doing instead of focusing on what they actually might want to do.

The Goo Goos' opening act, Lifehouse, doesn't have any such problems. Leader Jason Wade's compositions may not be the most original or exciting songs around, but he and his band are completely committed to them, and it shows. Their 2000 breakout single "Hanging by a Moment," still is their finest work, but the rest were played with just as much fire, making for a surprisingly enjoyable performance.

Colbie Caillat started the evening with a brief set of Sade-via-Savage-Garden soft rock, showing some promise but not much star quality.

GOO GOO DOLLS. Twenty years after their first album, Johnny Rzeznik and company continue to struggle with an acute identity crisis. Seen Saturday at the Nikon at Jones Beach Theater.

[klein]

gogonutz said:

Jones Beach Review
4
As the momentum and excitment shifted from Lifehouse’s inspiring performance to the uneven and piecemeal Goo Goo Dolls set, I started getting a bit listless and ended up leaving before the encore, hearing “Broadway” on my way out to beat the traffic and totally missing “Iris.”
# Newsday review by Mac Randall

lol GGD got served. but whats "Hanging on a Moment" ?! lol

[gogonutz]

klein said:

gogonutz said:

lol GGD got served. but whats "Hanging on a Moment" ?! lol

I know.. but I'm getting used to people screwing up Lifehouse and their song names, lol.. it's funny everytime I see it ;D

[gogonutz]

Buffalo Show Review

Link

Review: Goos peerless in playing to their hometown fans
By Jeff Miers - News Pop Music Critic
Updated: 07/29/07 9:27 AM

DARIEN CENTER — It’s always an enthused, raucous affair when the Goo Goo Dolls come back for a hometown show.Saturday evening was particularly so.

A full house treated this show as the pinnacle of the summer concert season, and they were rewarded with the most visceral, animated and raucous gig the band has played in its hometown in several years.

The entire music community of our city and surrounding environs shows up to celebrate Buffalo’s modern rock ambassadors, most of them looking for a bit of the time that Robby Takac and Johnny Rzeznik really don’t have.

The Goos, however, have made a long-term habit of making time for their people. More importantly, on Saturday, the boys came out of the stalls kicking, offering a thundering slab of power-pop in “Long Way Down,” which benefited from the seriously caffeinated rhythm section of bassist Takac and drummer Mike Malinin.

As often as the band has played this song — and these guys have been touring behind latest album, “Let Love In,” for quite a while, folks — the elements conspired to make this show-opening version particularly slamming. This show, happily, didn’t feel like just another stop on the tour for the Goos. Feelings were running high throughout, both on the stage and out in front of it, as evidenced by Rzeznik’s early frustration with a faulty wireless transmitter on his acoustic guitar.

The singer threw the offending ax across the stage, doubtless wrecking it, before grabbing another and launching into a fevered take on “Slide.” The crowd took all of this as a cue to go even more nuts, surely interpreting Rzeznik’s emotional demeanor as a promise of an unscripted evening. That’s exactly what they got. Rather than merely flogging the strong, grandiloquent “Let Love In” material — which certainly got its fair showing on Saturday — the band dug deeper for older material and rarely played gems from throughout its career — doubtless acknowledging the sizable contingent among its audience still reeling from long-ago nights at the Continental.

These folks were Goo Goo Dolls fans long before “Iris” changed everything for the band, and Rzeznik & Takac gave them beaucoup props on Saturday. It would be foolish to deny that a healthy portion of the Goos crowd — read this as “most of it” — fell in love with the band based on its ability to blend a scruffy, ragamuffin’s take on pop-punk with the eloquent ballads Rzeznik has become pretty much peerless at penning.

What makes the Goos still worth loving — and clearly, a new generation of fans has fallen for the band, based on the 18 to 50 age group represented at Darien Lake – is their passion for remaining at once true to their own ethic and maintaining a high commercial profile.

“Name,” always a significant moment in a Goos show, was particularly poignant, as Rzeznik prefaced it with a rap recalling a time “when I felt like I was wasting my life,” and then launching into the most intimate and emotional version of the tune I’ve ever heard.

All of this felt personal, somehow. And that’s what we want from the Goos.

Lifehouse opened the show with a sturdy set of melodic modern rock, including several tunes from the new “Who We Are” album. The band’s set was tight and rapidly sequenced. Opening with “Spin,” and wasting no time breaking into the hit “Hanging By a Moment,” the tune that brought the biggest response from a crowd that, considering the barely concealed enthusiasm for the “hometown team,” stayed with the band throughout its strong set.

Concert Review

Goo Goo Dolls

With Lifehouse on Saturday night in Darien Lake Performing Arts Center.

[e-mail]

[gogonutz]

some comments from: Link (Jones Beach)

seen them last year at PNC Bank Center show wa sjust over an hour. Never hear any old stuff anymore, just the pop/top 40 stuff that landed them in the big time. Always a great show, but leaves you wanting another hours worth and about 10 more tunes. Lifehouse on the bill, is awesome, They may impress you even more.

I got the tickets for my 18th birthday from my girlfriend... Although I'm only 18 I've been a fan since 1993 when my mother started listening to them. I grew up knowing all their songs, and have always wanted to see them live. I was not let down at all. They were amazing and they rocked the stage, and impressed the entire audience with they're old and new work. Worth seeing again. Lifehouse was also just as amazing, and the opening act from Colbie was refreshing too. An overall good night

Great Show, both the Goo's and Lifehouse were great. Opening act boring but i didn't pay to see them.

Nothing but disappointment from the Goo Goo Dolls. Half a dozen hits were left off the playlist (Here is Gone, Better Days, Big Machine, Sympathy, Broadway, Give a Little Bit), while the bassist sung three songs which made most of the crowd sit down. Lifehouse should have been the headliner with its work

My husband got a free ticket from his job, we got VIP Parking and we're seating close to the front. Great show, well organized, good music. I love it!I wanna see Goo Goo Dolls again and lifehouse, too bad no autograph signing and pictures

What crap! They did play Broadway, one of the few that was just OK? Iris, and Acoustic #3 were the others. I've seen them a few times before, opening for Bon Jovi twice, and headlining with the Counting Crowes here at the beach. They were tight than, and sounded great. Saturday night they sounded like crap! Way off key. John cannot hit a high note anymore. Robby looks like he's had way too many Krispy Kreme donuts, and WHERE did the other two guys come from??? This used to be a 3 piece band! They were fantastic than. Why the changes, and when? John also did not look good physically, in addition to not singing very good. If you have seen them in the past, as I have, you would agree with my post. If not, you may have been fooled. Lifehouse was actually very good, tight, and worth the money I paid. Too bad Goo Goo Dolls was why I was there in the first place. If they continue on these paths, I expect to see the Dolls fall off the map of headline touring, and Lifehouse filling Jones Beach one day real soon!

Colbie Caillat was great. Her backing band was ultra impressive. She seemed a bit starstruck as she did little to move around or engage the audience. She's got some great songs and being that she had no guitar to contend with she should have tried to walk around the stage and look alive.

Lifehouse was very impressive and much of their new stuff sounded really great. Especially their song The Joke.

Goo Goo Dolls were really great. I admit I was dissapointed that they left out Better Days, Give A Little Bit, Sympathy, Here is Gone and Big Machine, but what can ya do? They pulled out a bunch of old songs. Who would have ever expected Long Way Down to open the set? That was AWESOME. For those that are naive, Robbie is just as much a part of the band as Johnny and his songs still maintains the band's punk roots. Not only that, he's sung songs live at every show for the past fifteen years. If not more. Their cover of American Girl was pretty rough, but all around they were pretty amazing.

LifeHouse was awesome. They are an incredible band. I went to see the Goo-Goo Dolls but I will be spending my money on them in the future instead. I think the Goo-Goo Dolls need a break from touring. Everyone was having fun but they've been touring for 3 years in a row now and they even seem tired of there music. Overall - Great Wheather, Great Audience -97% Packed- Solid Show

AWESOME concert.. I though the Goo Goo Dolls were great! Lifehouse was not as good as I expected, but they were entertaining. The weather was great, and it was AWESOME to hear GGD's play some of their old tunes...

Pretty much the only review that said GGD was better than Lifehouse, lol

[gogonutz]

Santa Barbara Bowl

Link

Goo Goo Dolls at the Santa Barbara Bowl.
Thursday, June 28, 2007
By Sarah Hammill (Contact)

“Girls used to give me their phone numbers; now they’re trying to sell me real estate,” Goo Goo Dolls’ frontman John Rzeznik confessed to his audience after a woman in the front row tossed her business card onstage. The statement is an apt metaphor for the trajectory of the Goo Goo Dolls’ career, which began some 12 years ago with the smash hit “Name.” Since that initial explosion, the band has released a steady stream of follow-up albums, each slightly worse than the last, but virtually all offering at least one radio-ready super-ballad. Yet, as Monday night’s show proved, although the quality of The Dolls’ music will likely never again reach the heights of “Name” — a sentimental piece of rock perfection — there’s nothing wrong with a little formulaic power pop now and then.



To start off the night, Christian rockers Lifehouse took the stage following the evening’s first opener, Colbie Caillat. Lifehouse frontman Jason Wade could use a few rock-star lessons from Rzeznik. Although Wade did a fine job running through the band’s list of hits, Lifehouse’s crisp hooks and driving bass lines weren’t enough to save the otherwise bland performance.

But the Goo Goo Dolls were determined to change all that. Before a modest stage set — three ceiling-mounted panels that resembled the ghosts from old Pacman video games displaying various visual effects — Rzeznik commanded the stage with the confidence and ease of a rock veteran. Robby Takac played the Jeremy Piven to Rzeznik’s John Cusack, jumping in to crack a joke in his carnival caller voice or take the mike for a song or two. The duo had a surprisingly fresh chemistry and, despite the fact that they were playing songs they must have played thousands of times before, seemed giddy with delight at the prospect of getting to do it all over again.

The Dolls did right by their audience, performing one smash single after another to a crowd of mostly adoring fans, including “Name,” “Iris,” and “Black Balloon.” When Rzeznik forgot the words to “Sympathy,” his candor and joking apology diffused the potentially awkward situation. And even though each song began to sound eerily similar to the last as the evening progressed, The Dolls managed to provide what they do best: bite-sized, guilty pleasure pop.

[gogonutz]

Mansfield/Boston review

Link

Goo Goo Dolls seeing ‘Better Days’
A review of The Goo Goo Dolls with Lifehouse at the Tweeter Center on July 22 By Kelly Boyle, Contributing Writer

After what many felt was an uninspired performance the last time they were in town, the Goo Goo Dolls returned the area on Sunday night to rock the Tweeter Center.

It was show that displayed the band’s ever-adorning fanbase, which surprisingly seems to get younger as the band gets older. An abundance of teenagers who were barely through middle school packed the venue (probably due to affordable ticket prices) and combined with the older fans helped propel the band’s set. Consequently, the Buffalo natives were tight on stage and sounded better than ever with a breadth of songs that highlighted the talented trio’s twenty-year career.

Goo Goo Dolls hit the stage running with “Long Way Down” off A Boy Named Goo. From that point on, there was a little bit for everyone. In an effort to keep things interesting for their fans (and keep themselves on their toes), the band has been changing the set list nearly every show, adding songs to the line-up that have not been played live in recent memory. Boston was no different as they shifted effortlessly between the distinctive facets of the band’s personality.

Led by frontman Johnny Rzeznik, ‘the Boys named Goo’ played a range of songs that appealed to fans both young and old alike. There were classic hits such as “Black Balloon,” “Slide” and “All Eyes On Me” off their 1998 multi-platinum selling album Dizzy Up The Girl, and new fan favorites, “Become” and “Stay With You” off the 2005 album Let Love In. The set also included brand new material with “Before It’s Too Late,” the love theme from this summer’s big screen mega hit Transformers.

For the good or the bad, it would not be a Goo Goo Dolls show if bassist Robby Takac’s vocals were not featured in at least one song. Unfortunately, on Sunday night, Boston got three. Takac’s punk rock vocals are absolutely a nod to the band’s early days; however once he took command of the microphone, many in the audience took the opportunity to head to the concessions. While Takac’s rough voice and frankly unkempt appearance cannot compare Rzeznik’s good looks and smooth voice, he does at least bring enthusiasm to his performance. However, for most attendees, his three-song set of “Lucky Star," “January," and "Slave Girl" brought the show to a dreary lull.

Clearly influenced by their time on the road with Bon Jovi, the 75 minute set cumulated with the highlight of the night, a “Livin’ On A Prayer”-like sing-a-long of the huge hit “Iris” – in which Rzeznik barely sang one bar of the song. After a brief break, the boys returned to the stage to perform a two-song encore that began with their top ten hit ‘Broadway’ and ended surprisingly with a cover of the Tommy Petty and the Heartbreakers classic “American Girl.” Whilst the boys put their on unique spin on the classic, the younger crowd, perhaps expecting the band’s standard cover of “Give a Little Bit,” took an opportunity to get a jump on the traffic.

While several of their big hits, such as “Big Machine” and “Here Is Gone,” were conspicuously absent from the set list, the show was nonetheless a return to the classic Goo Goo Dolls as the boys clearly are enjoying “Better Days”.

In contrast to the Goo Goo Dolls, Lifehouse’s hour-long set primarily consisted of songs from their recently released 4th studio album, Who We Are. The LA based group was all business as they opened with their hit single “Spin” off 2002’s Stanley Climbfall and quickly moved on to their number one hit “Hanging by a Moment”.

With two of their major hits behind them the group, led by singer-songwriter Jason Wade, played the majority of what has potential to be another platinum selling album. Highlights include their new single, “The First Time,” the love song, “Whatever It Takes,” the quirky,” The Joke,” and the album’s title track. While Lifehouse did play the wedding song of the century, “You and Me,” towards the end of the set, it was their yet to be released song “Broken” that closed out the set. The ballad, inspired by a friend on dialysis, left Wade spent but the audience wanting more.


MySpace darling Colbie Caillat opened the show in support of her debut album, Coco. While refreshing, the "Bubbly" California native's laid-back sound (think Norah Jones meets Jack Johnson) and lack of stage presence did little to impress the crowd. That being said, Caillet did boast some impressive vocals that proved her potential.

Updated: 7/27/2007

[jolene102]

here's how i see it all:
Colbie Caillat- blah
Lifehouse- amazing, entertaining, outstanding
Goo Goo Dolls - OK

[katelyn]

thanks for compiling all of these. seeing so many great things said about lifehouse in one spot makes me really happy

[thechosenone00]

jolene102 said:

here's how i see it all:
Colbie Caillat- blah
Lifehouse- amazing, entertaining, outstanding
Goo Goo Dolls - OK

Hahaha, wonderfully put!

[thechosenone00]

I didn't really know where to post this, I figured here was as good as anywhere

On myspace they have Today's 100 top artists with Major labels. We are at 100 right now (at least we made the list)
the Goo Goo Dolls are at 72
and Colbie Caillat is at 27
Just thought I would share in the irony that the opening act for LH and the Goo Goo dolls is (apparently) more popular than both of them.

[gogonutz]

hehe, yeah, she's often called the "Myspace Sweetheart" since she pretty much got her breakthrough on there

[gogonutz]

Mountain Laurel Center in Bushkill, PA review

REVIEW AND PHOTOS: Pop Satisfaction
Goo Goo Dolls, Lifehouse give a little bit at MLC
By Bianca Mazzarella

This past Wednesday, more than 3,300 people bopped along to the pleasant pop-rock of Goo Goo Dolls and Lifehouse at the Mountain Laurel Center in Bushkill. And on a bill chock full of nice, hum-able tunes, it seemed appropriate that the evening began with someone promoting a CD named Bubbly.


Singer/songwriter Colbie Caillat hit the stage first for a short but sweet set. Backed by a four-piece band, the adorable and talented up-and-comer lived up to her album’s title. Caillat was also surprisingly soulful and folky, showcasing her voice as a cross between Natasha Bedingfield and a female Jack Johnson.


Shortly thereafter, and without introduction of any kind, Lifehouse walked slyly onto the stage and opened with one of its less successful singles, “Spin,” which left the already unresponsive crowd unenthused. Lead singer/guitarist Jason Wade quickly redeemed things by transitioning into the smash hit “Hanging By a Moment.” By the end of the song, most of those in the seated area were on their feet.


Speeding through a 40-minute set, Lifehouse managed to crank out nine songs in total, four from its latest album, Who We Are, including the upbeat, guitar-heavy song “The Joke” and the single “First Time.” Lifehouse also played-to-please by not excluding its romantic 2005 power ballad, “You and Me,” to which many swayed and couples slow-danced. Aww.


Unfortunately, Lifehouse fans were few and far between – lost amidst a sea of Goo Goo Dolls fanatics – but the multi-platinum chart-toppers managed to put on a solid, quality performance that was enjoyable even for the Goo Goo guys and gals.


With a light show and techno music briefly transporting the audience to a giant rave, Goo Goo Dolls took to the stage after a short intermission. Looking a little grunge with baggy pants, knitted beanie, and cut-off shirt, lead singer and guitarist Johnny Rzeznik and the rest of the Dolls raised the energy of the crowd with opener “Long Way Down” and never once let that energy drop, even through the ballads.


Goo Goo Dolls pulled songs from the span of its impressive 20-year repertoire, including oldies “Slide” and 1995 breakout hit “Name” as well as newer songs such as the title track from its latest album, Let Love In, and "Before It’s Too Late," from the soundtrack of the summer blockbuster Transformers.


The Goos skipped over a chunk of popular hits such as “Dizzy,” “Sympathy,” and “Here Is Gone,” and even changed up the familiar rhythms of previously mentioned songs, but the audience seemed un-phased. The crowd was grateful for whatever the Dolls were willing to offer, including the requisite songs with lead vocals from Muppet-looking bassist Robby Takac, whose voice sounded like the Cryptkeeper on crack.


The high point of the show came early on when the Dolls launched into “Black Balloon” off of triple-platinum album Dizzy Up the Girl. The crowd sang along and cheered as 20 or so giant black balloons dropped from the ceiling at the start of the chorus (much to the delight of the clever fan who had brought their own regular-sized black balloons, I’m sure).


Goo Goo Dolls closed out its 80-minute set with the three-time Grammy-nominated crowd favorite “Iris.” Rzeznik initiated a massive sing-along, allowing the crowd to sing the chorus in its entirety. And the band satisfied pleas for an encore with “Broadway” and a revved-up version of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers’ “American Girl.”


But after a pleasantly surprising performance at the Counting Crows’ no-show gig on Montage Mountain last summer, this time around Goo Goo Dolls’ song selection was mildly disappointing – but better than anything the folks at Mountain Laurel Center could have asked for.