Blue October kicked off the evening last night at Smart Finanical Centre and who knew they’d be welcomed with open arms! Apparently Houston did – Blue October is a home grown band that has been around since 1996 and let me tell you, they sounded GREAT! Every song kept the crowd moving – young and old. Unfortunately I had only heard “Hate Me Today” previously, but by the end of their set that changed. I added the rest to my streaming catalog, including their new song, “Spinning The Truth Away”. Nonetheless, Blue October seemed to finished their set with “This Is What I Live For”, which prompted the Smart Financial Centre crowd to rise to their feet cheering. Blue October had other plans, as they played another certified banger. The set ended at some point. I can’t remember when to be honest, but I can remember that every time he mentioned Houston or threw up the “H” I couldn’t hear myself think from all the cheers! The things I can recall are that Blue October had a great sound, they used a violin with a slew of guitars, and what might be the most important is Houston loved them.
Evidently Blue October warmed up the stage perfectly for the Goo Goo Dolls because they came out a’blazing. They kicked off the night with “Yeah” and the crowd was like “Hell Yeah!”, a perfect pairing! They played back to back jams before the lead vocalist rotated out and around the same time so did the theme of the songs. When Robby Takac was finished, John Rzeznik came back to lead a love song. The crowd didn’t seem to want to switch gears fully until he noted it was actually a hate song. That riled up the crowd long enough for him to announce it was actually “Come to Me”, which was, in fact, a love song.
Now that the crowd was on the same page, the Goo Goo Dolls switched over to acoustic guitar before playing a classic. “Sympathy” was the first acoustic song and as singer John Rezenik forgot the words. Houston, like the song, showed no sympathy as the centre filled with their cheers. He laughed, we laughed, and we moved on to more great music.
The centre went scary silent when the Goo Goo Dolls played “Name”. It might’ve been the first time I’d ever heard a crowd so attentive. Especially after the walls had echoed laughter from student loan jokes. You could hear a pin drop up to the point where he told the crowd to sing along. As he finished, you would’ve thought the show was over – far from it. As he mentioned a sort of thanks for keeping the band alive, the crowd roared. As the roars started to settle the Goo Goo Dolls dropped, “So Alive” and vibrant lights and visuals flooded the stage again. The timing was immaculate.
Honestly it’s the Goo Goo Dolls – what more can I say?! If I asked more questions there wouldn’t be much to say outside affirmative one word answers. Did you like the concert? Yes. Did they meet your expectations? Yes. Would you see them again? Absolutely. I could’ve kept the positive one word answers going but you get the point. They still sound amazing, they can still shred, and they can still move a crowd. Their stage production is pretty legit too. If you have the chance to see the Goo Goo Dolls- it’s a must!
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