Johnny Reznik of the Goo Goo Dolls
photo by Patrick O'Hagan
Phillip Phillips
photo by Patrick O'Hagan
Phillip Phillips opening for Goo Goo Dolls
photo by Patrick O'Hagan
Robby Takac of the Goo Goo Dolls
photo by Patrick O'Hagan
Multi-platinum rock band Goo Goo Dolls made a stop in the Music City on Monday night. The band played to a large crowd at Ascend Amphitheater as part of their Long Way Home summer tour.
Phillip Phillips opened the night with a balanced set of acoustic and rock. The 2012 American Idol winner was backed with a full band and introduced new material to the crowd.
As the sun set on the Nashville skyline, a beautiful backdrop to the Ascend stage, the stage crew began to prepare for the headlining act. The stage setting and lighting set the mood for the solid set of rock and punk that was to come.
Johnny Reznik (vocals and guitar) took the stage with a calm confidence as the band broke into the title track off their latest EP – You Should Be Happy. Robby Takac (vocals and bass) came out, barefooted, in a full-energy burst that lasted throughout the entire set.
The energy and dynamic balance between Reznik and Takac provided a glimpse into the formula that has propelled the group to their success over the last three decades. As the band promised before setting out on this tour, the set list offered a greater breadth of the Goo Goo Dolls’ catalogue and featured a good amount of new and old tunes.
The third song of the night, Slide, had the crowd dancing and singing along and really set the pace for the rest of the night. The mixture of the new and the old was a great balance for the show. The night ended in line with the rest of the set with the Goo Goo Dolls classic Iris as the pre-encore song. The band came back out before the Nashville crowd to end with Boxes, the title track from their 2016 studio album.
The Goo Goo Dolls are continuing their summer tour throughout the U.S., wrapping up in mid-September.