When the Goo Goo Dolls first got started, critics at the time accused them of being a cheap imitation of the Replacements, a band that amassed an underground following but never made it to the mainstream.

And that may have been their destiny if John Rzeznik had never gotten over his shyness.  In fact, were it not for that, this weekend they might be playing a local club instead of headlining the Nikon at Jones Beach Theater in Wantagh this Sunday Night.

Rzeznik's longtime band mate, bassist Robby Takac was the original lead singer and with their grungy sound at the time, it would have been laughable to think the Goo Goo Dolls would spend over a decade and a half as one of the biggest pop acts in the world.  Rzeznik's voice and the new mainstream sound that accompanied it would do wonders for the band's notoriety on 1995's "A Boy Named Goo," which featured the hit single "Name."

But it was the band's next record; "Dizzy up the Girl" that turned them into mega stars, thanks to top 40 hits "Slide," "Black Ballooon," and a song that Rzeznik originally wrote for the Nicholas Cage movie "City of Angels." A true pop masterpiece, the haunting ballad, "Iris" went all the way to the top of the charts, won a Grammy, and by now has probably been stuck in the head of every person over the age of fourteen at least once.

The Dolls have continued to crank out hits since then, including "Here Is Gone" and a re-worked version of Supertramp's "Give A LIttle Bit."  They are currently at work on material for their tenth studio album and released a new EP called "Live From Soho" on itunes earlier this week.

Joining the Goo Goo Dolls at Jones Beach on Sunday is Michelle Branch.  Known for hits such as "Breathe" and "Everything," Branch has an interesting tie-in here, as her old guitarist, Brad Fernquist, now tours with the Goo Goo Dolls.

Despite being active with numerous projects the last few years, Branch, fresh off singing the national anthem at the Major League Baseball All Star Game in Arizona, is touring this summer to promote her first solo studio release in eight years, "West Coast Time."  The album's first single, "Loud Music" was released last month.