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        Goo Goo Dolls >> Goo Goo Dolls >> Gator Growl adds Goo Goo Dolls
        
(Message started by: Shannon on Jul 22^nd, 2011, 3:40pm)

Title: Gator Growl adds Goo Goo Dolls
Post by Shannon on Jul 22^nd, 2011, 3:40pm

Gator Growl adds Goo Goo Dolls to this fall's show

By Nathan Crabbe

The revamped Gator Growl will feature the Goo Goo Dolls.

The rock band will perform at the Nov. 4 event, a Homecoming Week show that bills itself as the nation's largest student-run pep rally. The inclusion of a band represents a change from last year's show, which included three comedians and saw attendance drop from the previous year.

Event organizers said they picked the Goo Goo Dolls, best known for the 1998 hit "Iris," as a way to attract an audience that includes both students and alumni.

"What's great about them is they appeal to such a broad range of the UF community," said Aaron Heger, producer of the show.

A tradition since 1932, Gator Growl has in recent decades been a showcase for comedians, including Bill Cosby, Jay Leno and Jerry Seinfeld. From 2007 to 2009, the bands Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Steve Miller Band and O.A.R. performed along with comedians.

There was no band in last year's show, which featured comedians Aziz Ansari, Kevin Hart and Dan Levy. It drew about 14,000 fewer people than the previous year.

Organizers of this year's Gator Growl said they reintroduced the band, as well as fireworks, in response to a poll that found major student and alumni support for those aspects of the show. The show will also feature a comedian, but Heger said details are being finalizing and an announcement is expected by the end of the summer or start of the fall semester.

(Cont'd)

Title: Re: Gator Growl adds Goo Goo Dolls
Post by Shannon on Jul 22^nd, 2011, 3:41pm

The poll found differing preferences among alumni and students for the specific bands that they'd like to see. Alumni picked the Zac Brown Band, a country music group, as their top choice, while students chose the rock band Maroon 5 � listing the Zac Brown Band as third among six choices, tied with the Goo Goo Dolls.

The Goo Goo Dolls were formed in 1986 in Buffalo, N.Y., by lead singer and guitarist John Rzeznik and singer and bass player Robby Takac. They earned their first hit in 1995 with "Name," featured on their fifth album, "A Boy Named Goo."

The song "Iris," featured on their 1998 album "Dizzy Up the Girl," spent almost a year on the Billboard charts, including 18 weeks at No. 1. The band has subsequently released several more albums, including a greatest hits collection in 2007.

While their major hits came in the 1990s, Gator Growl spokeswoman Caitlin Feroleto said organizers believe the band will still be a popular choice today.

"Their biggest hits might have been a few years ago, but a lot of their hits are memorable," she said.

The return of a band to the show is among several changes, including the stage being moved to the east stands rather than the north end zone of Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Heger said the new alignment � which will allow the audience to sit directly across from the stage � would improve the ability to see and hear.

"We're doing our best to fulfill the type of thing that the Gator Nation wants to see," he said.

http://www.gainesville.com/article/20110720/articles/110729931