RIP IT UP

April ’99 #258

Goo Goo Dolls (22 February. Powerstation, Auckland)

Whereas Catatonia a couple of days before was fairly full, this was chocka – and chocka with young girls. Every muscle frontman John Rzeznik twitched brought another huge roar. This was the last date of a lengthy world tour and the Dolls raised their game for it, determined to finish on a bang. Although Rzeznik’s appearance was decidedly low key, gone was the sharp suit and view of his sun-bleached hair. Instead he was decked in beanie, white vest and baggy pants with his tats showing. The hit ‘Slide" was brought out early and as Rzeznik sang the line "I wanna wake up where you are", he pointed to the girls down front – cue mass screaming. Goo Goo Dolls blue collar indie rock is easily accessible, it’s soft enough to get on mainstream radio and has enough of an edge to remain credible, although a GG Dolls song isn’t going to change your life like the way a Buffalo Tom tune could.

Bass player Robby Takac, who thinks he’s Angus Young (wear shorts, stamp foot, bang head) gets to sing a few of his own songs, the very good "January Friend" and the very ordinary "Full Forever", but his outbursts are nothing more than tokenistic – a Lennon and McCartney partnership this ain’t.

"Broadway" and "Naked" were raced through while "Iris" was kept as a late treat, a melancholy song that works surprisingly well live.

So that was it, while Goo Goo Dolls go back to the States to pick up a heap of Grammys, New Zealand ("A little country hiding on the other side of the world" as Rzeznik patronisingly put it) gets to linger on a very impressive performance.

David Long