The Goo Goo Dolls
The Orange Bowl at Sun Life Stadium
Monday, January 3
Better than: Watching Sugar Ray's Mark McGrath host an episode of Don't Forget the Lyrics.
It's been a long time since Dizzy Up the Girl. And the fact that the Goo Goo Dolls have been out the mega-mainstream market for quite some time became very apparent during the Orange Bowl's halftime show.
Everything about the set-up was just awkward. The Dolls' music is something that is best enjoyed with a picnic blanket and a glass of '90s nostalgia, not cheesy pyrotechnics and 800 adolescent dancers. It was just weird.
And for some reason, organizers decided that DJ Irie would be the ideal person to introduce the Dolls. He may be a Miami staple. But what the fuck is he doing hyping the crowd club-style before an alt-rock set?
The stage was then pulled out to the 50-yard line and surrounded by light-up Reese's signs. (Nothing really says rock 'n' fucking roll like lit-up Reese's Peanut Butter Cups.) Meanwhile, the Dolls' teenage dancers prancing around in silver dresses. As they moved about the field simulating dancing stars and fluid waves, I was having Finding Nemo flashbacks. Remember the silver school of fish who gave Dory and Marlin directions? Well, run that through the boring filter.
The show also featured everyone's favorite green laser lights, explosive flame torches that went off during guitar riffs, and a Back to the Future-esque electric ball as the stage backdrop. Who talked them into this nonsense?
The actual performance was over in less than ten minutes. Orange Bowlers only got to hear two songs, "Slide" and "Not Broken." And just when the nostalgia started to take over and we started to forget about all the ridiculousness cluttered around the stage, we were slung right back into football mode.
Critic's Notebook
The Crowd: Duh ... College football fans. There were also several appearances by UM fans who were still upset that the 'Canes weren't playing in the game.
Overheard in the Crowd: The man sitting in front of us was a little confused about the musical act and asked, "Who dat dere?"
Random Sidenote: The Stanford Tree "mascot" is the ugliest thing I've ever laid eyes on.
Goo Goo Dolls' Setlist:
-"Slide"
-"Not Broken"
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