REVIEW
What: Goo Goo Dolls
Where: Royal Theatre
When: Wednesday
Rating: 3.5 (out of 5)
Bands usually bound on stage at the start of their concerts. Some walk, a few stride. Almost no one hobbles.
That was the fate that befell Goo Goo Dolls frontman Johnny Rzeznik on Wednesday. The victim of an accidental “stabbing" a week ago — Rzeznik said he stepped on a piece of plastic — the foot injury made him slow moving, which was a shame. But it needn't have made him static.
The band's first Victoria concert since 1988 could have and should have been a more joyous affair at first. Instead, the Goo Goo Dolls had to fight for every moment of appreciation right out of the gate, despite playing to a nearly-full Royal Theatre. “I wish I had a better story," Rzeznik said of his injured foot, which appeared to cause him considerable discomfort.
The frontman stayed seated on a stool for the entire show, and looked somewhat unengaged while doing so. Perhaps he was also sick, which would explain why his voice sounded shot. His range was limited early on, and though the raspiness was passable for the opening few numbers (bad news for fans of the early hits, Naked and Slide), his range handcuffed Here is Gone, a hit which requires a degree of finesse.
The good news? The ship was eventually righted. Rzeznik, to his credit, also improved as the show went on, though he never fully rose to the occasion until Come to Me, a new song that arrived well past the halfway mark. It was a welcome sight, despite being long past due: Rzeznik’s voice showed some dynamic range on Come to Me, ushering in the night’s first glimpse of Goo Goo goodness.
The Buffalo band is at a stage in their career where new music — though relevant — takes something of a backseat to catalogue tracks. Diehard fans still follow the group, but the majority of fans are there to hear the hits. There is no denying the band was bigger a decade-and-a-half ago than they are today, so it behooves them to give their fans what they want.
Rzeznik and bassist Robby Takac (who co-founded the group with Rzeznik in 1985) did that Wednesday. But only a to a degree.
The setlist was unusually reliant on the album Magnetic, released last year to modest reviews. A whopping 13 of the night's 19 songs were from either Magnetic, 2006's Let Love in, or 1998's Dizzy Up the Girl, which left little room for wild cards or long-adored deep cuts.
The band did play two songs from 1993's Superstar Car Wash — Another Second Time Around and Cuz You're Gone, which finished with an extended jam — but 1995's A Boy Named Goo, the band's commercial breakthrough, had but a lone representative. Remarkably, that wasn't Name, the band’s second-biggest song and a perennial favourite.
How they decided to skip Name in favour of unnecessary plodders like January Friend is a mystery — nay, a tragedy. The song has been a part of the encore at each stop on the band’s Canadian tour thus far, and given that this was their first show in the city in 25 years, it came across as a slight for them to have skipped it.
The Goo Goo Dolls (who included guitarist Brad Fernquist, keyboardist Korel Tunador, and drummer Craig McIntyre on this night) did their best to make up for the oversight, however, and closed out the show with an uptick in emotion.
Better Days was dedicated by Rzeznik “to anybody who needs a little help tonight. That’s all of us." The night hit a high with Iris, the power ballad on which the band's career is hung. The song incited a zealous singalong from the female portion of the audience, which came physically came alive at this point. Rzeznik really put his back into this one, singing like he hadn't all night. For his efforts, he was awarded with a standing ovation.
“You guys have been way too nice to my gimpy ass," he said, moved by the crowd reaction.
The band closed its set with Rzeznik's solo acoustic version of Can't Let it Go, before a strong, full-band rendition of Broadway. When the house lights came up, a smiling Rzeznik walked off stage, a little less of a limp in his step. A little medicine from a theatre full of fans will do that.
SETLIST
1. Last Hot Night
2. Naked
3. Slide
4. Here is Gone
5. Rebel Beat
6. Big Machine
7. Black Balloon
8. Smash
9. January Friend
10. Let Love In
11. Cuz You're Gone
12. Come to Me
13. When the World Breaks Your Heart
14. Another Second Time Around
15. Bringing on the Light
16. Better Days
17. Iris
ENCORE
18. Can't Let it Go
19. Broadway
