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As the lights when down in the hall and with the excitement building up to fever pitch, it seemed forever to my somersaulting stomach, before the band took their places. Guitarist and vocalist Johnny Rzeznik, and bass guitarist Robby Takac literally leapt up and immediately started belting out Stay With You, I became very aware of my heart booming to the beat of drummer Mike Malinin’s bass pedal.

This, I thought to myself, is what life’s all about!!!

Almost all the tracks on the band’s latest album Let Love In were performed and with tremendous energy, too. No elaborate lighting or stage sets were needed, no long chats in between songs, just plenty of audience participation and enthusiasm were the added ingredients required for a great show.

The best example of this was during the band’s most famous hit song Iris, when the audience took over completely at times, with Johnny climbing onto the stage equipment so that his microphone could reach as far as possible into the rapturous crowd. I was a little worried when the lights went down and the music stopped before the end of the song that they’d missed out the ending, but that was just a ploy to excite the audience a little more, the lights came back on after around a minute and we all belted out the chorus at the tops of our voices.
Wow !!

There were quieter moments, notably Feel The Silence that starts and ends with the words “You lie awake at night with blue eyes that never cry”. Well I have blue eyes and try never to cry, but I almost did during this one, such was the poignancy of the lyrics. Better Days was another. This emotional song was written after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. "I wish everyone was loved tonight, and somehow stop this endless fight, just a chance that maybe we'll find better days." I couldn't agree more !

If I had to be picky, I’d rather Robby hadn’t taken over as lead vocalist on a couple of the songs. I couldn’t make out the lyrics at all and feel that role is probably better left to Johnny.

All too soon, the band left the stage, returning to perform the truly beautiful Become and Give a Little Bit for the encore.

I would happily have forked out a little more cash for a longer show – it was just seventy minutes from start to finish – but we had our money’s worth and I’ll be first in the queue for tickets next time!

Manchester Apollo review 30th September 2006 by Chris High

www.googoodolls.com

 

European Tour 2006 Dates
09.29.06..........Leeds, UK...............................Leeds University**
09.30.06..........Manchester, UK..........................Manchester Apollo**
10.02.06..........Glasgow, UK.............................Glasgow Academy**
10.03.06..........Aberdeen, UK............................Aberdeen Music Hall**
10.04.06..........Newcastle, UK...........................Newcastle Academy**
10.06.06..........Cambridge, UK...........................Cambridge Corn Exchange**
10.08.06..........Southampton, UK.........................Southampton Guildhall**
10.09.06..........Nottingham, UK..........................Rock City**
10.11.06..........Liverpool, UK...........................Liverpool University**
10.12.06..........Cardiff, UK.............................Cardiff University**
10.13.06..........London, UK..............................SB Empire**
10.15.06..........London, UK..............................SB Empire**
10.16.06..........London, UK..............................SB Empire**
10.18.06..........Dublin, UK..............................Olympia**

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