CONCERT REVIEW: Goo Goo Dolls frontman shines at Tweeter gig

Power pop was the style of the night as the Goo Goo Dolls and Lifehouse entertained about 12,000 fans at the Tweeter Center Sunday night.

If the evening was long on flash and musical precision, variety and lyrical depth were a bit lacking, although both bands are obviously trying to expand their horizons.

The Goo Goo Dolls are in their 20th year, and the trio are nothing if not expert purveyors of punk-inflected guitar rock. Enhanced to a quintet for this tour, guitarist John Rzeznik, bassist Robby Takac and drummer Mike Malinin are augmented by guitarist Brad Fernquist and keyboardist Korel Tunador. The ensemble sound is flawless, with some crackling guitar lines and a potent rhythm section, Malinin is an underrated star.

Rzeznik and his band really achieve some viscerally stunning guitar effects. Rzeznik’s side of the stage was notable for the racks of 24 guitars at the ready, with him using a new one for nearly every tune.

And in these days of samples and synthetic musical effects, one is hesitant to criticize any band whose members play so well and whose stage show is such an uninterrupted 90-minute rock ’n’ roll sprint.

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Most of the Goo Goos’ songs are about the vagaries of finding love in this mixed-up modern world. The band excels at the contrast of soft and loud passages, so almost every song follows that pattern. Nearly every song builds to a fiery crescendo finish. After a while, the songs just start sounding too much alike.

But there’s no denying Rzeznik is a compelling and vastly talented frontman, as his vocal and acoustic work on their old hit “Slide” demonstrated early on. The Goo Goos’ punky roots often redeem them, and Takac’s lead vocal on “Lucky Star” was a prime example. The bassist is actually kind of a chirpy singer, but this was perhaps the band’s hardest rocking effort and a fiery romp worth the price of a ticket.

A jittery organ line framed the opening to “Become,” from the band’s most recent album, which grew into the usual bombastic power ballad. Tunes like “All Eyes on Me,” which was just a full-bore rocker from start to finish, were more effective, with Rzeznik prowling the stage like a hungry panther in his black jeans and black sleeveless T-shirt.

Although it follows that well-worn pattern, the band’s signature hit, “Name,” has such an easy-rolling flow and Rzeznik’s vocals are so warm that it is still an irresistible pop classic.

The Goo Goo Dolls’ newer material, from last year’s “Let Love In” album, can stand with any of their previous work, but it doesn’t chart out new territory either. “Stay With You” was another pulsating guitar rocker, with that superb rhythm section again the secret weapon. The title cut managed to use a midtempo framework, yet still bore serrating guitars to maintain that punky edge. Even “Better Days,” with its so-predictable acoustic start/blazing finish, was likable power pop; Rzeznik’s voice and presence made it work.

An older hit, “Iris,” closed the Goo Goos’ regular set with a mandolin-fired cathartic finish. A saxophone added spice to the first encore of “Broadway.” But it was the final encore, a cover of Tom Petty’s chestnut “American Girl,” that really hit home like nothing else, perhaps because it was a welcome change.

Lifehouse opened with a very engaging 45-minute set of its own. That quartet specializes in melodic power pop examining love and its travails, and also displayed pinpoint craftsmanship. Lifehouse’s singer/songwriter Jason Wade could’ve found a home on Tin Pan Alley in decades past.