Journalist, Author & Syndicated Columnist
Robby Takac isn’t the type of guy to be late for an interview. But on this day, his road manager calls to say he’ll be delayed. It’s not that he’s sleeping off a hangover or is out wandering somewhere and can’t be found. Rather, he’s out shopping. For luggage.
The Goo Goo Dolls did the best they could Friday night at the Chicago Theatre. But they were playing to an audience that probably didn’t attend a lot of rock concerts. How else could you explain a bunch of grown men [and women-but let’s face it, most of them were guys] who would hurl fluorescent glow sticks at the stage and think the band would enjoy it.
Back when the Goo Goo Dolls debuted, they were a straggly threesome that put little thought into on-stage wardrobe. They just rocked the house like the best little garage band from Buffalo, N.Y., that they were. These days, the look is more refined with expensive haircuts, leather pants and even a little eye liner. But the sound hasn’t changed much. Sure, there are more ballads than before, but the deliciously raucous rock ‘n’ roll spirit remains the same.
“It’s weird to play in front of tons of people,” John Rzeznik said backstage at the New World Music Theatre prior to the Goo Goo Dolls’ set Saturday night. “We’re more adept at working a smaller crowd.”
That may be. But I can think of few current bands that’s music is as tailor made for arenas than the Goo Goo Dolls. The group knows how to do a rock show right. Fronted by singer-guitarist Rzeznik and bassist-backup vocalist Robby Takac, the group from Buffalo, N.Y., charged into a fast-paced set, mixing the punk-influenced rockers with their better known ballads.
Johnny Rzeznik has gotten used to lingerie. No, the lead singer and guitarist for the Goo Goo Dolls hasn’t gone Marilyn Manson on us. Rather, the photogenic musician finally has gotten used to the barrage of bras and panties that his female fans fling at him onstage every night.
The Goo Goo Dolls skyrocketed to stardom last year on the strength of their bittersweet ballad “Name.” The difference between the Goo Goo Dolls and most rock bands, though, is that guitarist Johnny Rzeznik has a voice that’s consistently alluring live, whether he’s singing a searing rendition of the Plimsouls’ “Million Miles Away” or conveying the chaos of “Long Way Down.”
J.R. Richards quit college to be in a band. His parents weren’t disappointed. “I was a music major, and there’s not much you can do with that other than teach or conduct,” Richards said, calling from his record company’s Hollywood digs. “I couldn’t envision myself doing either.”
Before the Goo Goo Dolls formed in 1986, Rzeznik worked as an assistant plumber. Oh, and about that band name: They got the idea from a doll ad they found in the back of a detective magazine.
The Goo Goo Dolls make music loud enough to get a headache over, but melodic enough to dance to. But for all the noise the three-man Goos make onstage, their harmonies save them from being just another angry young group.