Star Quality Shines Through In Goo Goo Dolls

Concert ReviewApril 25, 1992Unknown source

Published on April 25, 1992
Author: By ANTHONY VIOLANTI - News Staff Reviewer
The Buffalo News

REVIEW


It's about time the Goo Goo Dolls conquered the world.

The boys from Buffalo are on the verge of national stardom and looked ready for the big time Friday night. They ripped through a frenzied 70-minute set in the first of two shows at the Icon.

The Goo Goo guys -- Robby on bass, Johnny lead guitar and George on drums -- hit the stage like a cross between the Sex Pistols and Nirvana. This was billed as a semi-farewell performance to their hometown fans because the group is headed into the recording studio for a Warner Bros. album due out this fall. The members do not expect to play another local date until then, so they decided to give their fans something to remember, and the band's atomic energy level kept building with each song.

The first four numbers were played with non-stop, machine gun intensity. "Laughing," "Just the Way You Are," "So Outta Line" and "Up Your's" are Goo Goo anthems that quickly started heavy action in the mosh pit in front of the stage.

Robby was dressed in typical Goo Goo garb -- a black T-shirt and plaid walking shorts -- and shook his long mane all over the stage. Johnny was content to scream into the microphone and hammer away with stinging guitar licks all night long. George, the glue who holds the band together, led the frenetic pace with his drums.

"Thanks for coming out on such a lousy night," Robby told the crowd while taking a rare break between songs. "We're sorry the weather's so bad, but we'll try to make it nice in here."

That's exactly what the band did with a new song, "Fallin' Down" and "Had Enuf." The room temperature hit the boiling point when the band tore into a cover of the Plimsouls, "A Million Miles Away." The song ended with Johnny swinging the guitar like a baseball bat, Robby perched atop the drums and George ready to attack anything that moved with his sticks.

The fans loved it, especially those being hoisted above the crowd to the music as the Icon walls were shaking from vibrations.

"Welcome to the disco," Johnny said, sweat pouring down his face, as he momentarily adjusted the green Oakland A's hat he was wearing. "We better play something loud, it's getting pretty quiet in here."
Just like that, the amplifiers were howling once more as the Dolls hammered away with "Addicted," a song from the group's first album. That was followed by another Goo Goo standard, "You Know What I Mean."

Next came another show stopper, a thrash metal version of the old Rolling Stones' hit, "Gimme Shelter."

What makes this band so special is its stage demeanor. Robby, the class clown of Buffalo rock 'n' roll, obviously loves the music as well as performing. The sound is ear-shattering, primal rock with a killer beat.
Put it all together, and you have a group that, after seven years of playing bars in Buffalo and around the country, has earned its chance for rock glory.

"Thanks, for coming, you're great," Robby told the audience. "We'll be back." They were leaving the stage, but after this show, everyone in the Icon knew the Goo Goo Dolls had finally arrived.

[source]Unknown[/source]

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