It's been three years since the last time Goo Goo Dolls performed in Jacksonville, and many of their fans on the First Coast have been waiting anxiously for them to return. Now, with the release of the band's tenth studio record, "Magnetic," GGD have finally made it back to the city to give the fans a night of awesome music that they won't soon forget!

Opening for the band at the Florida Theatre was a very talented male-and-female folk duo called Flagship Romance. Formed in 2011 by jazz vocalist Jordyn Jackson and Son of a Bad Man frontman Shawn Fisher, the couple captivates the audience with their chemistry, passion and their honest and emotionally-stirring songs that speak-from-the-heart. "Hit The Ground," "Amnesia Kiss" and "Games of Sorrow" were big hits.

"Opening for the Goo Goo Dolls felt like a musical journey coming full circle," says Fisher. "To have John Rzeznik say that he is excited about seeing our set after hearing us warm up, it made me feel like I had made it. Not professionally, but musically. I learned so much from these guys, so it was humbling to say the least."

Finally, Goo Goo Dolls take to the stage, starting off the show loud and proud with edgy songs like "Big Machine," "Long Way Down" and "Slide," delivering just the right amount of grunge and power-pop to get the crowd fired-up and out of their seats. Then, lead guitarist and singer John Rzeznik switched to his acoustic guitar on the anthemic ballads "Here Is Gone" and "Black Balloon." You could clearly hear the excitement in the fans as they sang along to every word of their favorite songs with the band.

Rzeznik eventually switched back to his electric guitar and let bassist Robby Takac take over lead vocals on "Now I Hear," "Tucked Away," "Another Second Time Around," and a brand-new song, "Bringing on the Light." Although the band plays a lot of adult-contemporary music and has a string of Top 40 hits, it's pretty clear that with songs like these, GGD are proud of their garage-band roots and are not afraid to let it show.

In addition to playing the hits that their fans know-by-heart such as "Let Love In," "Better Days," and their breakthrough single that made them a staple of mainstream radio in the mid 90s, "Name," they also performed a few songs from the new record, which drops June 11th, 2013. The songs included the folksy and heartfelt serenade "Come to Me," "More Of You," and the band's latest single, "Rebel Beat," a song that is essentially a celebration of life.

As the show came to a close, the band finished strong with the songs "Broadway," "Stay With You," and their multi Grammy nominated smash, "Iris," which Rzeznik ended on a subtle note, repeating the chorus in a cappella as the crowd sang along with him. For the encore, the group came back to the stage to perform their 2005 cover of Supertramp's "Give A Little Bit," playing it stronger and with more intensity than they had done in the studio version, even throwing in a cool saxophone solo which made it the highlight of the evening!

Overall, the Goo Goo Dolls put on a great show and it was awesome to see them back in action and playing here on the first coast. Be sure to check out the pictures our publisher Steve Janowicz got of the show! Pick up the new Goo Goo Dolls album which drops June 11th!

~Richard Chappell
Edited by: Madalyn Tavares