The Goo Goo Dolls & Matchbox Twenty

A couple weeks ago I was excited to be going to The Goo Goo Dolls and Matchbox Twenty Concert at The Gibson at University City Walk with Neil.  I'd gotten back from Punta Cana and was ready for some LA fun and great music!

We grabbed a bite to eat at Camacho's, along with a Margarita beforehand and headed over to The Gibson just in time to catch Kate Earl sing a few songs.  Neil and I both loved her song 'Honey' and thought she was a great opener for the 2 main acts.  Our seats were on the far left of the theater but we were 6 rows back and felt super close to the stage.  Neil had told me before the concert that in an interview with Johnny Rzeznik about their tour, he said that they play to the crowd; yes, they're out promoting their new album, but it's about the fans and the songs they love.  I think that's pretty awesome of them!

Johnny Rzeznik of  The Goo Goo Dolls!

I couldn't believe how excited I was when The Goo Goo Dolls took the stage first and Johnny Rzeznik walked out; I was screaming like a little girl at a Justin Bieber concert!  I had been listening to a Goo Goo Dolls CD for the past couple of weeks to re-familiarize myself to their music (along with a Matchbox Twenty CD) so I could sing along at the show.  I remembered most of their big hits in addition to some favorites on their CD's throughout the year, as well as new music that's made it's way to the radio.  I loved singing along with 'Slide' and their new song 'Rebel Beat' but my favorite moment of the Goo Goo Dolls performance was when they did 'Black Balloon.'  They released black balloons from the stage and I had completely forgotten how incredible that song was.  Another song I really enjoyed was 'Let Love In' and 'Come To Me' because they played the lyrics on a screen so the crowd could sing along to one of their new songs off the album.  I actually called my Mom when they did 'Name' because it's her favorite Goo Goo Dolls song and of course, their set wouldn't have been complete without 'Iris' from the movie, "City Of Angels" which takes place in Los Angeles.  Johnny played a bunch of different guitars and I've always known that each one is tuned differently for each song and his voice sounded just like he did on his albums, so that was fantastic!

Rob Thomas of Matchbox Twenty singing 'Long Day'

Neil & I at The Gibson!

Matchbox Twenty played after The Goo Goo Dolls and Rob Thomas was a ball of energy, dancing, jumping around, and really getting into the music, even playing the piano at one point which I thought was awesome!  I knew even more Matchbox Twenty songs than Goo Goo Dolls and that was probably because they were slightly more popular with my friends' musical tastes when I was in High School and listening to them.  They opened with a bunch of my favorites, 'Parade' which is one of their newer songs, as well as 'Bent' and my all-time favorite Matchbox Twenty song, 'Disease,' which was spectacular!  I was singing along with it at the top of my lungs, and I could sing along with a bunch of their songs knowing all the lyrics and loving that Rob Thomas was so fun to watch!  We heard '3 AM,' 'Real World,' as well as 'If You're Gone,' and some more new songs I really liked.  The new ones I liked were more acoustic and focused on Rob which were 'I Will' and then 'English Town' which was edgy and I couldn't wait to get home and listen to them again!  They had a great encore, after closing out with 'Bright Lights' by coming back on and doing 3 more songs including 'Push' but I really wished The Goo Goo Dolls would have joined them on stage for an encore too.

I'm assuming both bands switch off in each city with who opens and closes the show and that's totally fair.  It worked out for the better in this case because Matchbox Twenty had just a little more pizzazz than The Goo Goo Dolls but I would totally go see both play again!  I was super surprised to remember as many songs as I did with both bands.  I loved that both the Goo Goo Dolls and Matchbox Twenty musicians and singers worked the stage and really got the crowd involved in the music.  They were energetic and fun and it totally got me excited for each song and what they were going to be singing next!  I knew I would enjoy the concert and it would be fun but I didn't expect to love the concert as much as I did, get really into the music and lyrics, and be even more excited to listen to their songs at home as I was.  It was an incredible concert experience!  Thanks Neil :)