As part of their Chaos in Bloom tour, the Goo Goo Dolls played Manchester Academy on 23rd June. They were supported by Those Damn Crows
Those Damn Crows – a rock band from Bridgend – played a six-song set to start the evening. The venue was pretty packed from the outset. They began with fan favourite Who Did It, and had most of the crowd with them from the off. By the time they played their fourth track – the piano version of Blink of an Eye – they had won over any doubters.
The Goo Goo Dolls were welcomed on stage by a cheering audience, and started their set with Yeah I Like You from their latest album – one of only two tracks played from the release. An interesting choice for a tour promoting the album – but, then again, the band knows best what the crowd wants.
As with previous tours, half of their Dizzy Up The Girl album was played, interspersed with songs from newer albums, along with two of the most-loved tracks from their 1995 record A Boy Named Goo. The crowd sang along loudly to their favourites, but unfortunately crowd chatter was prominent throughout. The band put on a great show, but the crowd’s loud talking mixed with the venue’s sound distribution meant that there were times you couldn’t hear the music from the back or sides of the venue.
Noisy audience aside, the show was good. Early on Johnny talked on the phone to a ticket-holder who was unable to get to the gig, and for the last half of Iris – the obvious final number – they bought on stage Daniel Lavado. The teen piano prodigy appeared on Channel 4’s The Piano earlier this year performing the song.
If you love their music and get a chance to see the Goo Goo Dolls live, go for it. They’re still as energetic as they were and perform as well as ever. Similarly, if Those Damn Crows are the support for a band you are seeing, arrive early and check them out. Just make sure to stand in the middle if it happens to be at Manchester Academy – especially on a Friday night.
There a more photos from the gig here.
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