Goo Goo Dolls / O.A.R. at Starlight Theatre, Kansas City MO (2023-08-27)

Who knew you were supposed to bring props to The Big Night Out?!

The longtime fans knew, that’s who, as the solid double bill of Goo Goo Dolls and O.A.R. together, brought out fans young and old, to a very pleasant late summer evening under clear skies in Kansas City at Starlight Theatre. Not “Rocky Horror”-level props mind you, but there were a couple things fans brought along, that had them interact with the concert experience.

The veteran Buffalo, NY duo (Johnny Rzeznik and Robby Takac) is out in support of their 2022 album, Chaos in Bloom (via Warner Bros Records) and headlines this summer amphitheater run, which plays to over thirty outdoor venues over three months.

The band had played this very same venue, just over a year ago (with Blue October) but the fans came out like they hadn’t played here in years.

Additionally, a portion from tickets sold will benefit the Safe At Home Foundation. The organization was founded by ex-MLB player/manager Joe Torre to provide healing services and education to young people who have been exposed to domestic violence, child abuse, and sexual assault.

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Longtime Rockville MD alt-roots rock band O.A.R. (Of a Revolution) got things started with a 75-minute opening set, that properly warmed up the crowd for the main act. The band’s latest release is their tenth studio album, last year’s The Arcade (though on this night, no new songs were featured on the setlist). We recently caught them live in MN as well.

Singer Marc Roberge was in good spirits, smiling and pointing out people in the crowd, mentioning as the band finished its opening song, 2005’s “Lay Down” that their first show was proudly at their school’s Eighth Grade talent show, and they use to let their friends join in on bongos, and other instruments.

“Black Rock” was lyrically about a place of escape for the Maryland natives as teens, and the very first song they ever recorded, 1997’s “About an Hour Ago” was played early-on in the set. 1999’s “Night Shift” ended up as merging with their Bob Marley cover of “Stir It Up” to be a mid-set mashup, and big radio hit, “Shattered” got everyone still sitting, up and cheering along.

Before 2005’s “Love and Memories”, Roberge related the story that the song was supposed to be for the acclaimed film, “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind”, but being Hollywood, it actually ended up in “Soccer Scene montage #3B” of the Amanda Bynes not-so-classic film, “She’s the Man”, the following year.

“I Go Through” was dedicated to the bands’ families, describing the struggles of having a loved one that makes a living mostly on the road, and the band deviated from the setlist, working in their cover of “Ring of Fire”, which ended up being a crowd sing-a-long. Their closing number was their signature song, 1997’s “That Was a Crazy Game of Poker” (where they name-check their own band moniker) and that was the cue for fans everywhere in the stands to let decks of playing cards fill the air, much to the band’s delight.

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For the Goo Goo Dolls, 2023 represents an amazing 37^th year as a band, down to a duo for the last decade or so, and a long way from their punk roots and playing basements in Buffalo. Their headlining set of just over 95-minutes celebrated those decades (ok, not the really early stuff) and Rzeznik, and the always barefoot Takac were both in good moods. Rzeznik stopped and laughed several times while trying to sing, and both were happy to see the crowd swaying and singing along.

We caught Rzeznik solo, seven summers ago, playing live on the front end of a small docked boat for a radio promo on a small Minnesota lake, and he continues to look as young as ever.

Only a couple songs from last year’s Chaos in Bloom release were played (including lead single, “Yeah, I Like You”), with the band preferring more familiar songs (as is usually the case for summer outdoor tours).

Rzeznik started strumming the first chords of 1998’s smash, “Slide” before smiling and stopping mid-note, to confirm everyone not only knew the song but would also help sing-a-long, and the props soon came out during 1999’s “Black Balloon”, with actual black balloons somehow inflated out of sight in pockets of the crowd, and thrown in the air at the ready (“Look at you guys!’” Rzeznik commented when seeing them).

The band (as expected, expanded from a duo for the touring version) managed to work in two-dozen songs over their slightly abbreviated set, preferring to let the songs do most of the communicating, and smartly did not waste time towards the end, with the routine of leaving, then returning for an encore.

Takac got his turn singing lead on several songs (his vocals are somewhat reminiscent of Blink-182’s Tom DeLonge, though Robby pre-dates him by a few years) and Rzeznik commented because it was a weekend and even he didn’t have to be up early the following day, that the band would take their time playing, which elicited cheers. Upon seeing a Taylor Swift t-shirt, Rzeznik gave praise to her and especially the couple records, unfairly comparing himself to her joking, “there’s a reason she’s the biggest star in the world… and I’m not!”.

1995’s “Name” Rzeznik admitted, was “the first time anyone ever paid attention to us”, further saying “anyone that picks up a guitar or plays a piano… only wants to be heard, but in order to be heard, someone’s gotta listen”, starting their landmark song sparsely with the crowd proving they listened, by singing along as Rzeznik performed the first two verses unaccompanied.

The other thing we love to see on summer tours, is an on-stage collaboration between acts, and the “Big Night Out” did not disappoint as O.A.R. singer Roberge returned to the stage for a lively Tom Petty cover (they played a Petty cover last year/last tour too, thougha different song), which instantly became a show highlight.

Of course, the band’s biggest hit to date, 1998’s “Iris” would end the evening- the thrice Grammy-nominated song from the City of Angels soundtrack that would chart for eighteen weeks, spending four of those, at the very top. “Give yourself some love!” Rzeznik shouted towards its end, appreciating all the collective singing; both of the song, and of most of the night, before he waved and darted off with the rest of the group.

“The Big Night Out” was also the “fun night out” as pleasant weather (finally again!) and Goo Goo Dolls and O.A.R. were obviously having a fun time themselves, which made for a full and entertaining evening… whether you brought the appropriate props, or not.

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GOO GOO DOLLS