The Goo Goo Dolls kicked off their 2011 tour by playing their hearts out to a crowd of screaming girls (and a few screaming guys) in the Delta Hotel ballroom in St. John's, Newfoundland last night.

Only a thousand tickets were sold for each night (Feb 7 and 8) because the band likes small venues. "It feels like we're all at the same party," says vocalist and guitarist John RzeznikJohn Rzeznik.

The whole band was clad in black, with Rzeznik sporting a leather jacket despite being drenched in sweat halfway through the set. Vocalist and bass guitarist Robby TakacRobby Takac played his bestickered guitar in socked feet, while the other three performers hung out in the murky back of the stage.

Drummer Mike MalininMike Malinin looked like he couldn't get enough of the fun, as did Takac. Rzeznik, on the other hand, came close to tears a few times: "This is about a guy who lost his way, and for a while, I felt like that guy."

However, he was clearly enjoying his ability to make the crowd cheer exactly when he wanted to.

OZ.fm rep and show host "Little Caesar" awarded "Weather:1, Goo Goo Dolls:1" in reference to the band's cancelation last summer at Rockin’ The Upper East Side in Mount Pearl, due to Hurricane Earl.

The Dolls treated the audience to classics like "Black Balloon," "Dizzy," and "Broadway," mixed in with a few of their newer songs off their 2010 release "Something For the Rest of Us." And, of course, they couldn't leave until they gave the crowd what it really wanted: the band's breakthrough song "Iris."

Rumour has it that they're traveling with two buses (one for the band and one for the crew) and thirty guitars for Rzeznik alone.

Judging by the excitement in the crowd and the ferocity with which people grabbed for picks and set lists, the Goo Goo Dolls are off to a promising start for their tour, which culminates on April 15th in Maryville, Montana.