Nowadays it is surprising when an artist or band’s musical talents on an album can be adequately duplicated on stage. The Goo Goo Dolls managed to keep their original sound as finely tuned on stage in their July 4th Buffalo performance as they do on their CDs.
The Goo Goo Dolls’ newly released live album from their Buffalo show this past July is a combination CD/DVD package. The live show is a good demonstration of the talent that the Goo Goo Dolls possess. It shows that they don’t need the production studios to sound good, they really are that good. The DVD also shows their stage presence and how they interact with a crowd.
On the DVD, it opens with them coming on stage and singing a song from their new album, Gutterflower, with big flashing lights. Immediately they began to sing, not needing introductions or any segways, their singing would do the work for them. While in the beginning John Rzeznik, lead singer and guitarist of the band, wavered slightly in his singing on “Big Machine,” he quickly came into his rhythm and from then on there was not a mistake.
The other guitarist, Robby Takac, went crazy onstage with his brightly colored, long, red hair, dancing and jumping with the music. He had some of his own songs too, singing “January friend” in his higher pitched, shaky voice. He was obviously enjoying himself, adding to the merriment that could be seen and heard in the crowd and giving a little eye candy for everyone watching. Rzeznik was into the music, belting out the vocals and allowing for the crowd to sing with the songs they knew such as “Slide.”
On the CD itself, some of the songs are repeated from the DVD, such as “Big Machine” and “Slide.” However, the enjoyment is much the same. Their musical style is still completely intact and even more vibrant than on some of their studio albums. The crowd can be heard in the background singing and cheering, giving the music an uproarious feel. What’s impressive is that the band and the crowd played and stayed throughout the torrent of rain that had come earlier that evening, showing the true power of their music to keep fans there and their true commitment to stay.
The CD has an array of songs from older albums as well as the newest one. They aren’t just out to promote a new album they are there to give the fans a sample of their music from everything they have done. The fact that Rzeznik also allows for his fellow guitar player Takac, to sing some songs himself shows that this isn’t a power struggle but a band that truly enjoys making music, wherever it may come from.
While DVD concerts can be boring to watch, the music is so invigorating during this performance that it is worth seeing those who make it. The CD itself is a great live album. While the singing is on par with that of their other albums, they still allow for spur of the moment changes within their songs, giving the audience a taste of something different and new.
I give this dual album an:A
