Not Just Another Show For Goo Goo Dolls

Concert Review
Goo Goo Dolls
Collective Soul
Darien Lake PAC
Darien Center, NY
Saturday August 20, 2016
Review/Photos: Joseph Suto

Goo Goo Dolls singer John Rzeznik confessed Saturday evening “I’m always really nervous when I have to play here.” He went on to explain without giving the band’s history lesson, that his hometown was the first place that opened their arms to the band. Rzeznik knows where he came from. Even after playing here year after year, summer after summer he cares about saving his best performance for his hometown. He and his band did not disappoint.

The Goo Goo Dolls rolled into Darien Lake at the Performing Arts Center for an electrifying show that also featured a sublime performance from Ed Roland and his Atlanta based outfit Collective Soul. The genius who came up with this pairing deserves kudos for a job well done.

The Goos took the stage with a vengeance and a dazzling light show to go with it. Opening with “Over And Over”, the first track off their latest effort Boxes, helped set the tone for the evening. For this tour the set list was given an overhaul as the band pulled out some treasures like “Long Way Down” and “Naked” giving some of the more recent ballads the night off. It was a breath of fresh air for anyone who has seen the band over the past few years.

Rzeznik seems to have opened up during the shows over the years. The band used to let their music do the majority of the talking. Perhaps the recent run of acoustic shows the band has played has made him more comfortable.

Closing their main set with arguably three of their biggest songs in “Stay With You”, “Iris” and “Broadway” left the crowd hoping for perhaps a special song for its hometown alas it was not to be. What the crowd received instead was the best Goo Goo Dolls show in recent memory.

Collective Soul played a short but solid 50 minute set that seemed to go by so fast. The band is led by singer, guitarist Ed Roland, his brother guitarist Dean Roland, Will Turpin on bass, Jesse Triplett on guitar and Johnny Rabb on drums.

Opening with “Heavy” was a great choice to kick things off. It was followed by “Where The River” flows which was the song the fans chose by a vote on the bands site. They have been doing this for each show on the tour.

The band also played a pair of cuts from their recent release See What You Started By Continuing. Roland announced they are making a new album for next year and played “All Our Pieces” which will be on it.

The band ended their all too brief set with “December” and “The World I Know” the two biggest songs from their self-titled 1995 triple platinum release. It was good to hear how big of an ovation these guys received as it has been a while that they have been able to play a venue of this size over the recent years.

It was not lost on many in attendance what else was taking place at the very same time. The Tragically Hip, the Canadian rock band was playing what is believed to be their final show with singer Gord Downie coincidentally enough in their hometown of Kingston Ontario. What were the odds that The Goos would be playing their home venue the same night?

Rzeznik proclaimed at one point during the show “This is how summer is supposed to be”. Indeed it was. A hot night of music by two bands who left all they had on the stage with memorable performances, giving many fans enough great memories to last a very long time.

Goo Goo Dolls
Over And Over
Long Way Down
Slide
Big Machine
Rebel Beat
Here Is Gone
Black Balloon
Smash
Bringing On The Light
Name
So Alive
Naked
Souls In The Machine
Better Days
Already There
I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man
Come To Me
The Pin
Stay With You
Iris
Broadway
 Encore
Long Way Home