GOO GOO DOLLS at Albert Hall Manchester – 12 October 2016
Review and Photos by Rob Stuart
I’ll be truthful, I wasn’t entirely taken in by Boxes, the Goo Goo Dolls’ 11th studio album. However, as fan of the older music, I was determined to give it another listen. The Albert Hall was a fantastic venue to hear it for the 3rd or 4th time!
As a band of consistence over the years, I was surprised to hear subtle differences in the approach to the music on this album. There’s the ones that try a little bit too hard to be modern “Lucky ones.” That being said, all the songs have been seamlessly put together and well arranged. Due to the massive hits that the band have had over the years, I think the album will struggle to produce anything outstanding. However, I personally think it’s a good album.
Seeing the band live, with John Rzeznik’s unmistakable voice, and Robby Takac’s stage energy. They give the audience everything they came to see, an electric performance of excellent music which created one of the best atmospheres of any gig I have seen. The intimacy of the venue added to the experience, of course. They haven’t lost any of the spark to their shows and clearly are still very passionate about bringing quality music to the masses. There’s no arrogance, no pretense just a band wanting to share their music with the world.
The best moment of the evening was the cover of “I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man,” a track by Prince. Takac’s vocals and the overall arrangement of the song was beautiful. From the no-expense-spared incredible lighting to John Rzeznik’s numerous guitar changes, the Goo Goo Dolls are a band I would happily go and see again. Amazing from start to finish!
