Dizzy Up The Girl - October 23, 1998
Review by: Dave Ferman / Star-Telegram Pop Music Critic
DALLAS -- Sometimes great rock `n' roll is a matter of scale.
Think about it: Blues, folk and jazz sound at home in a bar or small hall; in much the
same way, the big, sweeping sound of, say, U2 can reach people sitting in the very back
row of a huge stadium.
The Goo Goo Dolls' problem these days is scale: The Buffalo trio used to be simply one of
the best hard-rocking little alternative-pop bar bands around. That, however, was before
1995's `Name' made them the heroes of thousands of little girls and propelled them to
shows at places like Six Flags and, Monday night, Starplex, where they headlined the Mix
102.9 Fall Cha-Cha, a free event sponsored by local pop station KDMX/102.9 FM.
The Dolls are still a good band -- they just don't belong in places like this. Because
their songs are generally light-alt power ballads or brisk hard rockers, they tend to blur
and seem more than a bit faceless and repetitive when playing to an enormous sea of
people.
Leaders John Rzeznik (the cute blonde guitar player) and bassist Robby Takac (whose chunky
frame and personable everyguy demeanor make him a rock `n' roll basset hound; I mean this
as a big compliment) try hard. They still scamper back and forth all over the stage, and
they're smart enough to add an extra guitarist and keyboardist to beef up the sound.
Trouble is, the size of the venue underscores the so-so quality of songs from the recent
`Dizzy Up the Girl;' a new tune like `Black Balloon,' for example, is just not as
satisfying and punchy as `Stop the World' from their best CD, 1993's `SuperstarCarWash.'
They played both Monday night, and the difference was immediately evident.
The other drawback is that Rzeznik's developing status as a sex symbol means he's singing
lead on just about every song; Takac used to sing lead far more often, but he now seems
like just a support player.
The combination of playing a bunch of decent-but-no-more material in a place not built for
their type of music meant that, unless you were a 17-year-old waiting to swoon over
Rzeznik when he did `Name,' you probably found this show pretty darned ordinary. I know I
did.
The Dolls will never be a bad band, and `Superstar' will always be one of my favorite
power-pop CDs (including anything Cheap Trick ever did) but I really do wish they'd sell a
few less CDs next time out and go back to raising the roof at Trees. It's where their
music belongs and flourishes.