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Shannon
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Toronto Sun show review
« on: Jul 26th, 2010, 10:25am » |
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Say what you will about Buffalo-bred rock band Goo Goo Dolls, they certainly know how to craft radio-friendly hooks.
The trio of singer/guitarist Johnny Rzeznik, bassist/singer Robby Takac and drummer Mike Malinin (rounded out on stage by guitarist Brad Fernquist and keyboardist Korel Tunador) has spent the better part of 15 years on the musical map without reaching stratospheric superstardom.
Yet for most of the group’s 90-minute set Sunday evening before a roughly one-third filled Molson Canadian Amphitheatre, Goo Goo Dolls delivered a series of songs that even the occasional music fan would recognize and probably hum along to.
Although starting a hair later than scheduled, and with roadies making last minute adjustments to the set list, the band opened with a rousing Petty-esque foot-stomper Sweetest Lie followed by Big Machine from 2002’s Gutterflower album.
With little in the way of eye candy or props, the group was quite workmanlike, rarely stopping for between song banter but stating how it felt like a homecoming gig of sorts just being across Lake Ontario.
“The big city for us was always two hours away, never eight hours away,” Takac said prior to Another Second Time Around while Malinin sported an Anvil t-shirt.
On the cusp of releasing a new studio album entitled Something For The Rest Of Us, the group performed a handful of tunes from it with the lead single Home resembling a Coldplay-tinged keeper. However As I Am seemed to miss the mark from the onset.
What didn’t miss though was the cache of hits Rzeznik and crew doled out throughout the roughly 20 numbers, from the roots pop of Slide to Here Is Gone, the latter leaving Rzeznik smiling as fans eagerly provided harmony vocals. This was also the same response when the slow-building Better Days emerged about midway through the main set.
Both Rzeznik and Takac seem to have taken a bit of the Rolling Stones model when it comes to dividing the vocal work, with Takac coming in for quick combinations a la Keith Richards such as Now I Hear and the punk-ish Tucked Away. The sticker of the Stones tongue logo on Takac’s well worn bass only reinforced that idea as he paced the stage throughout while Rzeznik did most of the vocal chores.
With Black Balloon causing black balloons to bounce around the crowd, Goo Goo Dolls hit another highlight with Stay With You. But it paled compared to the opening notes of Name, a gentle and sweet staple which still holds its own 15 years after its release. “Thank you guys for remembering this song,” Rzeznik said before the crowd belted out the song’s homestretch as they did with their other warhorse Iris.
Opening for Goo Goo Dolls were Vancouver rock stalwarts 54-40 who seemed to be a perfect complement to the headliners. The band’s 45-minute set was brimming with nuggets such as One Gun, Nice To Luv You, Since When and Casual Viewin’ among others.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 Stars
Sunday Night, Molson Canadian Amphitheatre
http://www.torontosun.com/entertainment/music/2010/07/26/14826451.html
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nmf016
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Re: Toronto Sun show review
« Reply #1 on: Jul 26th, 2010, 2:15pm » |
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on Jul 26th, 2010, 10:25am, Shannon wrote:| roughly one-third filled Molson Canadian Amphitheatre |
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LOL WUT?
I was actually very concerned this show would be way undersold so I made a point of turning around to see how full it was. From where I was (third row) I could only see a couple empty patches on the far edges of the last section. The lawn was closed off, but without the lawn, capacity is still like 9,000
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