Review by Michelle Schantz
When a band has been as successful and enduring as the Goo Goo Dolls have been, sometimes that success is accompanied by a weight of expectations. Both the band and their fans can feel this weight. It brings to light the fact that change is inevitable, but growth is a choice. Time will continue to move forward, and it’s up to the band whether or not to move forward as artists. This is the realization that Goo Goo Dolls singer, guitarist, and frontman John Rzeznik brought into the creation of the band’s 11th studio album Boxes in 2016 and continues to carry into their newest 5 song EP, You Should Be Happy.
You Should Be Happy (Warner Bros.) was recorded and produced with Drew Pearson (OneRepublic, Katy Perry) at EastWest Studios in Los Angeles. Rzeznik and Pearson joined forces to write the first single off the EP, “Use Me.”
Back in 1985, John Rzeznik (vocals), Robby Takac (bass), and George Tutuska began a ten-year venture as the Sex Maggots from their hometown of Buffalo, NY. It wasn’t until 1987 when they would release their first album as the Goo Goo Dolls on the Metal Blade record label. In 1995, the alternative rock band broke out into the world of MTV and beyond with their album, A Boy Named Goo. Three years later, Dizzy Up the Girl shot the Goo Goo Dolls into superstardom, going 4x platinum with top ten hits “Slide,” “Black Balloon,” “Dizzy,” and of course, “Iris.” Carving their names into rock history, the Goo Goo Dolls have created 19 top ten singles and a plethora of top 10 albums throughout the aughts, The band has been Grammy Award nominated four times, and John Rzeznik was honored by the Songwriter’s Hall of Fame when he was awarded the Hal David Starlight Award for gifted songwriters in 2008.
Nearly 30 years since their start, the Goo Goo Dolls are hitting the road again this summer on their “Long Way Home” tour. Now seasoned professionals, they play with the same spirit and energy in their music as their first days on the road. The three-month long tour arrives in Boston tonight at the Blue Hills Bank Pavilion with special guest Phillip Phillips.