As someone who was born in 1998, I feel as though I know the Goo Goo Dolls are amongst a select few bands that are forever ingrained into my subconscious. Before the days of CarPlay, Bluetooth, and even aux cables, there was of course, the radio. As a child with severe A.D.D. growing up, the car rides were never silent. Whether it was on the way to school, heading to baseball practice, what have you, there always had to be music playing in the car – and "Iris" was one of the 'inescapables.'

And I just want to preface - I don’t mean that in a bad way by any means! I’m sure at the time, my mom turning the volume knob to the right came with a sigh from the backseat – but oh how times have changed. But as I walked by the security team back to my car, exchanged our, “goodnight,” and “you too,” I thought back to these radio moments. Those dramatic sighs and pleads to put Metallica back on, and what that young kid might say if he knew that not only has our opinion changed, but we just sang one of the greatest love songs in music history with 9,000 other people; and it was nothing short of electric.

At one of the first true instances of fall out here on the east coast with a slight chill in the air, and this being the last show of the year at the Bank NH Pavilion since the venue is outdoors, I really didn’t know how the performance would go. But then it hit me – the infamous Live in Buffalo: July 4th, 2004 (if you don’t know what that is, stop reading this, go watch it, and come back). In an instant, all potential worries about the performance came to a grinding halt as the lights went down, and the crowd erupted.

And let me just say…I mean, if you’re a Goo Goo Dolls fan, it’s truly everything you would want it to be. Not only were the visuals throughout the set duration on point, but the setlist touched on nearly every Goo Goo Dolls album they’ve released. Starting with "Broadway" off Dizzy up the Girl and hitting the classics like "Name", "Sympathy", "Come to Me", "Better Days", "Slide", and of course finishing the night off with "Iris", it was nothing short of amazing. And as someone who is a bit, “outside looking in” when it comes to the Goo Goo Dolls, it was so remarkable to not only hear Rzeznik’s amazing voice in-person for the first time, but to witness how these songs, some of which are over two decades old like "Iris", "Slide", etc. still resonate with fans on such a powerful level and sound so, so good live.

It was right from their walkout and the first few notes of Broadway though, where I knew right away that this was going to be something special. John Rzeznik’s stage presence from the offset was nothing short of magnetic. His charisma, his energy bouncing from stage left to stage right, and genuine interaction with the audience nurtured an overwhelming sense of intimacy to the whole performance – like we were all just friends sharing stories and moments through music. And he wasn’t alone up there either as Robbie Takac’s infectious energy came through in every bassline and his overall enthusiasm on the stage.

As I close in on my one year anniversary of starting my concert photography journey, and of all the shows I’ve had the fortunate opportunity to shoot this past summer at the Bank NH Pavilion, there’s something about this one that’s different.

In the end, the Goo Goo Dolls put on a show that was a testament to the music and devotion they carry for the fans that was unlike anything I’ve come across in a while. It was a night dedicated to nostalgia, unity, the bands history, and the love of music that I truly believe left an indelible mark on everyone in attendance, myself included. And as I drove home listening to Dizzy in its entirety, I found myself smiling at the feeling of singing along with 9,000 people to a song I grew up with (and even detested at times) – a feeling I won’t forget for a very, very long time.