Veteran Rockers Own the Stage

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13 August 2013 No Comment

The Goo Goo Dolls. Photo by: Traci J. Brooks

A warm summer night and an enthusiastic crowd welcomed the Goo Goo Dolls and Matchbox Twenty to Jiffy Lube Live in Bristow, Va., on Aug. 10. Having honed their live skills through decades of touring, both bands’ energetic and hit-filled performances kept the audience on their feet for over three hours.

The Goo Goo Dolls. Photo by: Traci J. Brooks

Buffalo natives, the Goo Goo Dolls, have been a staple on Top 40 radio since the mid-nineties with their hit, “Name.” Their 1998 release, “Dizzy Up the Girl” produced other chart-toppers like “Black Balloon”, “Slide” and “Iris.” Crafting a set list with ten albums to their name can’t be easy, but all they made sure to play all the staples, as well as tracks from their new album, “Magnetic.” The Goo Goo Dolls squeezed every second out of their 70-minute set, closing with “Broadway,” easily the best song of their set.

But it was evident Matchbox Twenty was the true headliner from the energy and warmth they exuded as they took the stage ten minutes earlier than scheduled. Opening with “Parade,” the opening track from their 2012 album “North” and rolling straight into 2000’s musical tour de force, “Bent,” the boys of Matchbox Twenty made sure each audience member felt welcomed as Rob Thomas repeatedly asked, “How are you doing, Bristow?”

Matchbox Twenty. Photo by: Traci J. Brooks

Despite 16 years as a band, their show felt like anything but a “greatest hits” concert. An impressive set design featured giant, suspended cubes that alternated between projection images and the live video feed provided ever-changing spectacle should you tire of Thomas’s frenetic hand gestures. His sweeping vocals left no note unsung, tackling even the gutsy bridge of “Bright Lights” while on piano.

Matchbox Twenty. Photo by: Traci J. Brooks

Even if an encore not been a given, the audience’s cheers demanded one. Matchbox Twenty returned to the stage to perform a cover of “Jumping Jack Flash” by the Rolling Stones, and then two of the most emotionally charged songs of the evening, “Back 2 Good” and “Push.” A humble Thomas closed the evening by thanking the crowd for “giving them a job” — and if the applause was any indication, it is a role the crowd will be fulfilling for years to come.