Goo Goo Dolls Monday October 16 @ Club Babyhead

Concert ReviewOctober, 1995Whatever Magazine

Since Monday night TV sucks, and I grew up in Buffalo, I had to go check out the Goo Goo Dolls. I've seen them play a few times before, but not since their new album "A Boy named Goo" came out. I was psyched to see them because the rock pretty good, but I was a little wary of what kind of crowd they might get, since their new "hit video" is a slower ballad

I went down kind of late, and wound up parking really far away and walking over. As I was strolling along I met up with Johnny himself and a couple of roadies who were lost. We asked directions a few times and had a fine stroll watching Providence's finest boys in blue chase down some truck and frisk the two black guys in it, before finding our way to the club. I don't know what they did, but it was apparently too close to where The Phantom people were waiting to go in to the evening performance.

Johnny really didn't have much to say, other than they had some cool furniture on the tour bus. He really didn't like staying at the Holiday Inn because some construction workers were jackhammering the floor at 8am, so they had to nap on the bus, but he seemed upbeat.

I went into the club alone, because Johnny disappeared into his bus and ditched me, but I didn't care because Club Babyhead was full of college chicks. There must have been a 2:1 girl-guy ratio. Even the bartenders were all pretty women, it was unbelievable.

I had arrived just in time to watch the crew set up for the Goo Goo Dolls, so I grabbed a beer and began to circulate. I sat down by the pool table because there were about ten girls without boyfriends smoking up a storm in that corner. I tried to chat with them, but they were only concerned with Johnny. I participated in their debate as to who was cuter, Johnny or Evan Dando, but they didn't seem to care about my opinion so I split for the bathroom.

The Goo Goo Dolls took the stage as I was giving my unit a polite shake. I hustled out the door, but found I couldn't see too much because there had been some mass movement of women toward the stage. Girls were elbowing each other and shoving like crazy to get close.

The Dolls did a few numbers before some of the real crew sluts managed to take over the front of the stage. I saw some girl flash her tits, while another tried to get Johnny give her a kiss. During one number some poor girl even had to be rescued from the mayhem by Sir Johnny himself. He made sure she was OK, then handed her off to the stage crew.

I decided on another beer since I obviously wasn't going to get any TLC from these women. I found a quiet spot by the bar and got shitty while Johnny got all the babes worked up. I was hoping that once the Goo Goo Dolls set was done I would have a chance, but I didn't.

I guess even though I didn't get any action the show was pretty good. The Goo Goo Dolls are a good live band, with a tight sound and a rocking attitude. I just wish Johnny wasn't so damn cute.

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