Grammy-nominated, multi-platinum selling band Goo Goo Dolls performed at the Budweiser Stage in Toronto recently. The supporting act for the evening was multi-top 40 hit makers Blue October.
This was a great pairing as the crowd in the venue was near capacity for the openers which, typically, the venue fills up as the evening progresses. Blue October performed an 11-song set, including all their famous songs like Hate Me, Into the Ocean, Oh My My, just to name a few.
Frontman Justin Furstenfeld was so animated throughout the entire show. Making faces and even at one point had to comb his slick do while performing.
Their performance left the crowd wanting more. Talented musicians, they put it all out on the table for their fans to feast on. Certainly, an entertaining band to see live.
This being Goo Goo Dolls’ first full-length tour since 2019, frontman John Rzeznik joked about how he was mad at Canada for not permitting them entrance to the country sooner. They also reminisced about playing at the legendary venue Lee’s Palace their first time performing in Toronto many years ago.
Goo Goo Dolls are set to release a 10-song album on August 12, 2022, called Chaos in Bloom, their 13th studio album, produced by nonother than Rzeznik.
Starting off their 23-song set with fresh material, Goo Goo Dolls performed Yeah I Like You. The crowd was pretty receptive to their new tune. But their next song Slide had the crowd going crazy! The decibels in the venue climbed to peak levels. The fans ate it up and sang throughout the entire song. Other fan favorites were Sympathy, Name, So Alive, and Iris.
While performing Sympathy, Rzeznik spoke about the challenges of getting sober and the creation of this song. He stumbled a bit on the vocals and laughed…saying, “Yep keep those videos on me,” and laughed!
While performing one of their new tracks called War, I was intrigued by the heaviness of the song. I will certainly have to give it another listen, but as a first impression, I really liked what they were offering.
Bassist and co-founder Robby Takac had this infectious smile throughout the entire show. He was really enjoying the moment.
Like most bands, they had their token cover song, performing Tom Petty’s song Runnin’ Down A Dream as their final tune for the evening.
Although the show wasn’t sold out, they certainly had a healthy attendance.
“Thank you for remembering us and keeping our band alive”. – Rzeznik
I had read a few reviews about the show and saw comments about how Rzeznik’s vocals didn’t hold up to their heydays. I held an open mind going into the show and was thrilled to hear that must have been an off night when that review was written. John had great range, his pitch and intonation held up beautifully.
This was my first time seeing Goo Goo Dolls. I was impressed and would certainly see them again. It was a great blast from the past and from the sounds of their new material, they’ll be around for a long time yet.
A special thanks to BB Gun PR and Live Nation for the accreditation.
Connect with Goo Goo Dolls: WEBSITE / FACEBOOK / INSTAGRAM / TWITTER
Connect with Blue October: WEBSITE / FACEBOOK / INSTAGRAM / TWITTER
All photos by ©Sue Hebert Sadzak
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