When songs connect, those resonances only echo louder as each decade passes. Goo Goo Dolls—John Rzeznik [vocals, guitar] and Robby Takac [bass, vocals]—first released the three-time GRAMMY® Award-nominated quadruple-platinum Dizzy Up The Girl in 1998. 20 years since then, its story, spirit, and soul continue to shine.

Among their sixth record’s powerhouse tracklisting, the ubiquitous mega-smash “Iris” also graced the quintuple-platinum City Of Angels Soundtrack and garnered a total of three 1998 GRAMMY® nods in the categories of “Record of the Year,” “Best Pop Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals,” and “Song of the Year.” A generation later, Taylor Swift would invite Rzeznik to duet on “Iris” in front of a sold-out Madison Square Garden, and Leona Lewis offered up a cover of her own as the song racked up 279 million Spotify streams. Emblematic of that enduring influence, it placed at #39 on Rolling Stone’s “100 Greatest Pop Songs.” Another signature single, “Slide” won ASCAP “Pop Song of the Year” in 2000 and joined “Iris” on Billboard’s “Top 100 Pop Songs 1992-2012,” making the boys “the only musicians to land back-to-back singles on the list.” Continuing that success, “Black Balloon” received a 2000 GRAMMY® nomination for “Best Rock Performance By a Duo or Group With Vocals.” Not to mention, the record includes favorites such as “Dizzy,” “Broadway,” and more.

Now, the influence of Dizzy Up The Girl expands once again in 2018. Celebrating this landmark, Goo Goo Dolls launch a 20th anniversary tour performing this body of work in its entirety for the first time—alongside a handful of select gems.

“The format gives us a different layout for the set,” says Takac. “It’s going to make for something really unique. Dizzy Up The Girl was the first impression we made on many fans. To be able to share it in this capacity is incredible. We haven’t played many of these songs in a long time, and we’ve never actually played ‘Amigone’. Letting those see the light of day again is pretty important to me.”

“The show is a gift to our hardcore fans,” adds Rzeznik. “It’s all about giving the audience an experience. To perform Dizzy Up The Girl in its exact order is something really special. That’s very exciting for us.”

The album represented a turning point for the group. Following the success of 1995’s double-platinum A Boy Named Goo, Rzeznik and Takac relocated from their hometown of Buffalo, NY to Los Angeles, CA.

Opening up emotionally like never before, the band captured life as it unfolded at nothing short of a dizzying pace.

“Robby and I had just moved to California,” continues Rzeznik. “It was such an alien environment to us. We’d never lived anywhere but Buffalo. In one aspect, we were nervous because this came right after A Boy Named Goo, which was so successful and brought a ton of pressure. We were also going through a lot of personal changes at the time. I was in the middle of a divorce, but I was loving California. It was bitter. It was sweet. There was plenty of good and bad all shook up together. It was fun though. We had a little bit of success. We had little bit of money. We had just enough fame to get kicked in and kicked out of all the best places in L.A.,” he laughs. “Thinking about everything now, it’s amazing. Our relationship only gets stronger. It’s safe to safe to say all of the booze, drugs, and stealing each other’s girlfriends is way behind us too!”

Goo Goo Dolls fortified an unbreakable bond to countless listeners everywhere by way of a catalog replete (an arsenal of songs with unforgettable anthems) To date, they’ve sold 12 million units worldwide and made history by notching 14 Top 10 hits at Hot AC—"the most of any artist in history.” “Iris” dominated the Hot 100 at #1 for 18 straight weeks. Among eleven full-lengths, Gutterflower [2002] and Let Love In [2006] both went gold as Something for the Rest of Us [2010] and Magnetic [2013] bowed in the Top 10 of the Billboard Top 200. 2016’s Boxes earned the praise of People and Huffington Post as Noisey, Consequence of Sound, and more featured them. In 2017, the You Should Be Happy EP yielded another anthem in the form of “Use Me,” which quickly generated 3 million-plus Spotify streams in a few months’ time.

By looking back, they continue to leap forward. Amidst the celebration of Dizzy Up The Girl, Goo Goo Dolls found inspiration to write and record their next offering due out in 2019.

In the end, their connection to the audience remains as strong as ever.

“I just want everyone to feel like they’re a part of what we’re doing, and we’re a part of their lives,” Rzeznik leaves off. “Our audience is deeply connected to us. That’s why our band is still around and we can do this. That means something. I hope they walk away satisfied and excited for what’s next.” — Rick Florino, April 2018