It has only been a year since the Goo Goo Dolls were in Australia after supporting Matchbox 20 last year on their tour down under but this time, the band were headlining their own show in front of a packed Hordern Pavillion crowd who were itching with excitement as the band came onto stage. 

Before the headline act, the crowd was treated to a short but sharp set from Thirsty Merc, who were at the very top of their game. With the vast majority of the crowd coming early to see the band, they showed off their full range of skills with incredible jazz solos, great instrumentals and superb pop craftsmanship. 

Lead singer Rai Thistlethwayte is well-known in music circles as one of Australia’s finest live performers and he showed this off throughout the set, taking the crowd through the biographical “Tommy and Krista” before moving into “20 Good Reasons”, which had the whole crowd chanting the chorus. As they closed out their set with “In The Summertime”, the only complaint that the audience had was that the set was far too short, at only 30 minutes. Nonetheless, the set certainly got the crowd going and chaos ensued between the sets as the band came out to do a signing, which resulted in incredibly long lines of happy fans who wanted to share an extra moment with the performers after a truly fabulous performance. 

When the Goo Goo Dolls hit the stage, the crowd were ready to have an absolute blast. The crowd was knowledgeable, singing along to most songs as the band went through their 30-year discography. They started with a pumping version of “Naked” which immediately brought the energy of the crowd to the fore as the pulsating guitars drowned out all around them with a wall of rock sound. 

Lead singer John Rzeznik was entertaining and amusing all night, providing the audience with anecdotes throughout the set which covered everything from Elon Musk to drug-fuelled nights in Australian hotels. The jokes helped to break up the set, which displayed high levels of musicianship, but began to wear at times as it spanned nearly two hours. 

The band had a strong presence throughout the set and this engendered great connection with the audience. The majority of the set was very guitar-driven and the venue’s acoustics meant this projected well and allowed the band to show off their skills throughout the set. 

While the majority of the concert consisted of up-tempo songs, there were some moments were Rzeznik played acoustically, which provided a nice contrast. His rendition of “Sympathy” was superb and showed off the high levels of musicianship that the lead singer possesses, as he managed the complicated vocals and guitar parts flawlessly. 

The show unsurprisingly ended with the band’s biggest hit, “Iris” and the atmosphere in the crowd was electric as they matched Rzeznik’s trademark high notes with power and passion. Australian Idol contestant Emma Jones came out to sing a verse of the song, which was slightly awkward as no-one was quite sure what her relationship was to the band (and she left the stage abruptly after her chorus) but Rzeznik made sure to make up for it with an extra acapella chorus, where the voice of the crowd shone through. It was a great way to end a long but exhilarating night of live music. 

Overall, this was a strong concert, kicked off by an incredible set by Thirsty Merc before the Goo Goo Dolls channelled the energy for a superb night of music. The set was perhaps a little too long but in a room of diehard fans, it hardly mattered as the band put on a show that would remain in the memories of the crowd for a long time. 

Rating: ★★★★

Goo Goo Dolls – Hordern Pavillion – 21^st February 2025