Here's the thing: Goo Goo Dolls songs endure. Formed almost four decades ago, the rock band's artistic ambition has always been connection — pop anthems that can be blasted from car speakers and in karaoke bars, and sung en masse. These songs stick around, but never wear out their welcome.
This set is bookended by songs from Dizzy Up the Girl, the 1998 album that found the sweet spot between catchy arena rockers and heartfelt power ballads. "Slide" is particularly suited to the space as John Rzeznik's voice, which has aged gracefully into the velvet rasp he's known for, rings clearly across the song's careening melody. "Feel the Silence" is a sturdy and perhaps little-known gem from 2006's Let Love In. "Not Goodbye (Close My Eyes)," too, is a meditative ballad waiting to find more ears.
But how could Goo Goo Dolls not close with "Iris"? Originally written for the City of Angels soundtrack, revived by Deadpool & Wolverine and consistently discovered by listeners seen by its romantic melodrama, "Iris" has returned from the brink of winking irony and been once again embraced for its desperate sincerity. At the Tiny Desk, our small office crowd joins the thousands who have been inside of this song and felt something real.
SET LIST
- "Slide"
- "Feel the Silence"
- "Not Goodbye (Close My Eyes)"
- "Iris"
MUSICIANS
- John Rzeznik: vocals, guitar
- Robby Takac: bass, background vocals
- Jimmy McGorman: keys, piano, background vocals
- Brad Fernquist: guitar, mandolin
- Craig Macintyre: drums
TINY DESK TEAM
- Producer: Lars Gotrich
- Director/Editor: Kara Frame
- Audio Technical Director: Josh Newell
- Host/Series Producer: Bobby Carter
- Videographers: Kara Frame, Maia Stern, Joshua Bryant
- Audio Engineer: Valentina Rodríguez Sánchez
- Production Assistants: Dora Levite, Dhanika Pineda
- Photographer: Michael Zamora
- Copy Editor: Daoud Tyler-Ameen
- Executive Producer: Suraya Mohamed
- Executive Director: Sonali Mehta
- Series Creators: Bob Boilen, Stephen Thompson, Robin Hilton
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