Call it a case of rock 'n' roll deja vu.

Pop-rock band Goo Goo Dolls, a little more than eight months after commanding the stage at Musikfest, returned Sunday night to Bethlehem for a show at the Sands Bethlehem Event Center that hued very closely to the last time the group was in town.

"It's always nice to be in Bethlehem," remarked front-man Johnny Rzeznik, before a brief drum solo/intro by Mike Malinin led into a spirited romp through "Naked."

Just like last the time, the night leaned heavily on hits. The group fired off a stream of singles in the first 20 minutes, including "Slide," "Here Is Gone" and "Black Balloon."

Before strumming the intro to their 1995 breakthrough single "Name," Rzeznik apologized for losing his voice. The crowd -- which filled about a 1/3 to half of the room -- didn't seem to mind as they offered assistance by singing along to the chorus. And though he gets props for being the most animated of the bunch on stage, bassist Takac's nasally voice sounded better on harmonies than the few times he took over lead vocal duties.

But vocal struggles were balanced with impressive lead guitar playing by Rzeznik, most notably on the grungier opening number, "Long Way Down."

It was a solid, if nothing-out-of-the-ordinary performance. The biggest difference being that the band seized the opportunity to trot out three new songs off of their upcoming studio album, "Magnetic." The new material, for the most part, fit in with the rest of the group's back catalog -- though the new single, "Rebel Beat," was a slightly sonic departure for the band; incorporating processed drum beats and mandolin. (I hate to use the word "cheesy," but the tune did have an air of cheese about it.)

Returning on stage for their encore, the Dolls once again offered nothing new in terms of surprises: kicking it off with their cover of Supertramp's "Give a Little Bit" and ending on the ballad "Iris."