Having originally set off down the well-worn road of forgotten garage bands, the Goo Goo Dolls charted a path to worldwide stardom that would have been impossible to predict from the trajectory of their earliest releases. Today, the band stands behind fourteen top-ten singles, several multi-platinum releases, and total sales in excess of ten million albums. In support of their latest single, “All That You Are” (from the soundtrack to the Transformers: Dark Side of the Moon blockbuster), the Goo Goo Dolls are spending this summer bringing their bulging set list of hits to fans. Because it has proven to be so musical and so reliable in the past, the band will again rely on Sennheiser vocal microphones, both wired and wireless, along with Sennheiser’s industry-leading wireless personal monitor and wireless instrument technologies for an impactful, worry-free tour.
 

At times, lead vocalist John Rzeznik roams the stage with a Sennheiser SKM 5200 II wireless transmitter fitted with a Sennheiser MD 5235 dynamic capsule. “Rejection of stage noise is critical because Johnny is constantly in motion,” said FOH engineer Greg Nelson. “With another manufacturer, I would expect to get the squish of cymbals as he walked past [heavy-hitting drummer] Mike Malinin, but the MD 5235 rejects everything except his voice. I used to ride the fader a lot, but now my job is a lot easier. I can focus my attention on other things.” Tour manager and seasoned engineer Matt Miley added, “The wireless performance of the SKM 5200 is perfect night after night. There’s never a drop or a glitch, and the dynamic range is natural and full.”
 
Bass player and backing vocalist Robby Takac sings into a super-cardioid Sennheiser MD 431 II, as does touring musician Korel Tunador, who plays keyboards, guitar, and saxophone. “Again, it’s an issue of on-axis musicality and off-axis rejection,” said Miley. “The MD 431 II sounds nice and transparent, and is so easy to mix. It’s the kind of thing you can set up and forget about because you know it’s going to do what it needs to do – without any fuss.”
 

Rzeznik plays guitar for just about every song using a Sennheiser ew 572 G3 instrument wireless system. “Most of the band’s hits have signature guitar sounds that are the result of particular alternative guitar tunings,” explained Miley. “In order to reproduce this live, there have to be a lot of guitars switching in and out. We’re running sixteen channels of Sennheiser ew 572 G3 wireless instruments. We’re glad to have its scanning feature, which allows us to reliably set the guitars up in different cities without issue.”
 

Except for a wired monitor for Malinin, everyone else in the band uses Sennheiser ew 300 IEM G3 wireless personal monitors. In addition, all five members of the band have a personal tech, each of whom monitors his musician with a duplicate receiver. Three spare channels accommodate guest musicians. “All of the Sennheiser wireless equipment – including the lead microphone, the instruments, and the personal monitors – works perfectly wherever we go,” said Nelson. “It’s always locked in without a hiccup or a problem. The reliability factor is high!”
 

“Apart from the performance of the gear on stage, it’s great to have the support of Sennheiser’s Global Relations team behind the scenes,” said Miley. “They’ve always been really good to us. In the rare instances when things have malfunctioned, they always come through with timely repairs.”