On the 4th of July 2004 the Goo Goo Dolls decided to really celebrate by playing a show in front of the old town hall in the centre of Buffalo. The weather on the day was everage at best and after a lengthy rain delay, the show finally got started. The Goos ripped through the first half of their set which encompassed a great variety of songs both old and new before the rain set in again, forced into yet another delay they soldiered on, cranking up the volume to finish of their incredible set in the pouring rain along with the thousands of fans who flocked to the town hall to see these Buffalo natives rock in a way only they can. So here we go.
1. Big Machine - A truly awesome way to open the show, this lively, loud kikcer from Gutterflower opens with a nice big rythmic blast of guitars yet is laced with Johnny's traditional penchant for melody and expressive lyrics. The pauses throughout and punchy verses with a nice saddish chorus bode very well for the rest of the show, and the Goos don't disappoint. 4.6/5
2. Naked - A nice strong punkish stomper from the A Boy Named Goo album, This really is a great song. Nice and loud but again, still laced with beautiful melodies and great lyrics. A catchy guitar riff with an even catchier bridge and chorus make for a really enjopyable song that you can just sit there and nod your head along to and when it comes solo time this has got to be one of the best that Johnny's ever done. Great song. 4.5/5
3. Slide - As i said on my review of Dizzy Up The Girl, this is an awesome song. Johnny introduces it by saying "alright, everybody knows this one" and although he's right dueto the massive redio play it recieved. This song is just as appealing as the day it was released. A magnificent coupling of acoustic and electric guitars allow for a beautifully warm sound joined with Robby's silky smooth bass sound make this song even better live. 4.6/5
4. Think About Me - Another one from Gutterflower and another open tuned acoustic guitar from Rzeznik paired up with a nice crunchy electric. I really like this song, catchy, upbeat verses with a nice melodic chorus and great guitar riff to carry it all through. The stage guitarist Greg really shows how good he is in this song with some very smooth little licks played through the verses and the solo which is a nice dose of twangy slide. A good fun song with solid lyrics and nice bouncy music. 4.2/5
5. Smash - Possibly Robby Takacs finest song. Great melodic distorted guitar riff on the intro and more cool guitar work through the verse and Robbys raspy, gravelly voice really works. The lyrics, by takacs standards are stellar and even compared to the great Rzeznik, they hold their own. Another cool solo from Rzeznik showcasing that he really does have some skill with that axe of his, definately works live. 4/5
6. Tucked Away - Flows straight on from Smash this is probably Robbys second best song, the lyrics are slightly cheesy "Momma just called, said your tucked away" but aren't all that bad, especially for Robby. Johnny keeps the song chugging along and feeling nice and upbead with some great guitar work the whole way through, especially the nice chorus-effect driven riff in the bridge leading into a lovely ripping solo. It seems Robbys songs work a lot better live, because from memory this song wasn't particularly remarkable when released on Gutterflower, and that goes double for Smash now i think about it. 3.8/5
7. Black Balloon - Anyone who's read my review of Dissy up The Girl knows what i think of this song. It's simply magnificent. Beautiful crisp acoustic guitars played over that wonderful harmonic riff played here with a nice chorus effect and a touch of delay. The keyboards are well done to try and replace the strings used ion the original and it all comes together perfectly. Johnny sings the bridge slightly differently but it sounds awesome. Robbys backing vocals are spot on as he harmonises beautifully. The instrumental break in the middle is just as powerful and emotional as the album version and the drumming from mike, as always, is steady and smooth but lets loose at times through the instumental sections. Just simply a great song no matter which way you look at it. 5/5
8. Dizzy - Another Dizzy Up the Girl song and unfortunately the intro suffers slightly live due to the heavy effects used on the album. However the song does pick up and winds up sounding solid and slurred, just like how it was written. This one comes out sounding really different to the album version and it works well. The only let down is the intro. Robby and Mike work just as well together as ever to provide a nice throbbing rythym and Johnny hits all his high notes. The bridge is slightly different to the album with Greg aparrantly improvising his own little arpeggiated solo as johnny says to the crowd "couldn't have asked for a better night." and it's true. 4.2/5
9. Name - From A Boy Named Goo, this was the bands first big hit, and it's easy to see why. Nice open tuned acoustic guitars and a nice simple rythym tied in with awesome lyrics. this song has all the ingredients for a tear-jerking ballad and it pulls it off stunningly. The synths provided here really fill out the sound and the acoustic solo sounds better than on the album, especially towards the end. Smokier and sadder than ever, an awesome song. 4.8/5
10. Cuz You're Gone (1000 Words Version) - One from the old Superstar Carwash days. A nice punchy pop-punk thrasher with a very cool guitar riff from johnny for the intro, great lyrics and some fancy basswork from Robby leading into a great solo. From there things change from the album version though. Through a quiet patch, as Mike keeps up a steady beat, and Greg improvises some nice arpeggios, Johnny sings a nice soft brinds with lyrics like "1000 words but none were spoken" hence the alternate title before launching head first into the final chorus. A really nice little piece of pop-punk. 4.5/5
11. Sympathy - Robby pyts down the bass to play the maracca, Mike just taps his hi-hat greg plays the mandolin and Jason (keyboardist) on the piano accordion. Johnny takes centre stage with yet another warm open tuning to play this friendly acoustic ballad. A very nice song and perfect for the middle of the set to let the audience wind down a bit. 4/5
12. January Friend - Wasn't great on Dizzy up The girl and isn't awesome here. but like most of Robby's songs, it really benefits from the live treatment. Robys vocals are less forces and more palletable and the guitars seem livelier and punchier. Still not a great song but it does mark a turning point in the show, because this is where it started raining. And Robby sure lets you know ("Screw this rain!!"). A nice little solo from johnny makes this song not unenjoyable. A big improvement from the album version. 3.3/5
13. Here Is Gone - I love this song. It's just everything the Goo Goo Dolls do best rolled into one. Open tuned acoustic in the verses and big electrics in the chorus. Simply complex drumming from Mike and ailky smooth bass from Robby with magnificent lyrics packed with emotion amke this one of the highlights of the album. It's at this stage where the bad was drenched through and through and if you get the DVD it really is wuite a sight to watch them play this song in the pouring rain. Every bit as good as the album version off Gutterflower plus that something extra to make it truly great. Must have been the rain. 4.9/5
14. What A Scene - Another gutterflower tune this one really stands out to me as a song that should have been a single. Fast moving, complex, insanely catchy lyrics with punchy palm-muted guitars and a fat bass sound with nice solid drumming. It really does have a lot going for it. nice drawn out, melodic chorus. This song is on par with the studio version. unfortunately, due to the rain, johnnys guitar dies towards the end of the second verse and he has to wave a guitar tech on with a replacement so you lose the second guitar for a patch but it all comes together in time for the ridiculouslt addictive "na, na, nanana, na" part. I challenge you not to sing along. 4.7/5
15. Acoustic #3 - Before this song, the bad were forced off stage as the rain poured down. I don't know how long thay were off stage for, bu aparrantly after a while, Johnny just said "Ah screw this." Grabbed an acoustic and walked out on stage. This really is a great version of this song. There's a nice chorus effect on Johnnys guitar and with just the guitar and him, this is a genuine acoustic ballad. Beautiful song and somewhat fitting to the situation in mood. it just begs to be played in the rain. 4.6/5
16. Two Days In February - A great song from the Hold Me Up album. It's an oldie but a seriously good one. Just Johnny and robby standing in the middle of the stage, drenched, Johnny playing a clean electric and robby playingthe most subdued bass he's ever played. All the emotion and beauty of the original, amde more fun by the outbust of distortion in the middle where Johnny got silly and started sliding around stage. Definately one to lsiten to over and over, just because of the beautiful simplicity of it all. 4.6/5
17. Broadway - I'd describe this song as like Slide, only better. It's smoother, more emotional and sadder with some great little licks in it. This song sounds almost identical to the album version if you ignore the patch at the start before the drums were uncovered again (as Mike was playing them!) and the song explodes into life. This song in my opinion is a great display of the awesome rythym section that Mike and Robby make. great guitar work, solid rythym and as usual, flawless singing from johnny with a very cool saxophone solo from Jason. 4.8/5
18. Iris - Nothing can describe just what this song gains from being played live. All the power and emotion of the album version with the added energy of being played live and the added saddness of being played in teeming rain. Beautiful guitar tuning used by Johnny and as usual a smooth as butter bass sound from robby with some very nice drum work from Mike. The slide solo is awesome and the bridge as a whole just drives home what a truly beautiful song this is. Yous simply have to hear it to understand what i mean. 5/5
19. Give A Little Bit - This is a cover of an old song, i don't know who did the original so if asnyone knows feel free to tell me and i'll whack it in here. It's a little upbeat for a Goo Goo Dolls song but still comes off well. A nice steely acoustic and a touch of electric with the standard rythym formula make for a nice way to cap of a truly awesome show. Although if i were the Goos i would have finished with iris. but this is still a great song to end on. 4/5 (the studio version is almost identical to the live version, so that's why i only reviewed the one version)
So there we have it, the Goo goo Dolls fisrt full-length live album. And it's a gem. Awesome songs played by awesome musicians. If you only buy one Goo Goo Dolls album, make it this one, it's truly awesome. Also the DVD is even better so if you want my advice, pick up the pack with both. This really is the ultimate Goo Goo Dolls collection.
