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My first Goo Goo Dolls concert! Mahoning County Fair. Canfield,Ohio September 4,2000. (Pictures at bottom of page!)
Okay finally. My review of my first GOO concert! What can I say? They were amazing!!! Totally ROCKED!!!And were very high energy!John,Mike and Robby really enjoy performing and totally get immersed in their music.Giving their fans one hell of a show!!!
Canfield,Ohio was about a four hour drive from me. I met some other Goo fans at a hotel where we all had planned to stay at together. That was very exciting for me because I had met these other Goo fans online and had known them for awhile. There was one friend in particular that I didn't expect to meet.And well surpise, surprise I did!!! Walking was very painful for me that day due to a back injury. But it was my friend Stacey whom I didn't expect to meet. That stayed with me every step of the way.
We finally made our way to the small stadium where the concert was to be held.As my friend Stacey and I walked in and who I did I see in the distance backstage walking around? Why none other than Mike wearing a sweatshirt that matched his green hair!! I'm sure everyone around me heard me say to Stacey,"Look,it's Mike!!" "He's wearing a sweatshirt that matches his green hair!!" Oh well I don't look my age which is thirty so why act like it,huh?
I had a front row seat! So I was very excited of course. Boy I was I going to be in for a big surprise!! Myself along with others agreed it was the worst seating we had ever seen!! Not the band's fault!! Yes I was up front. But about a hundred or so feet from the stage and off to the right. So basically sense the stage was so high up and the speakers were sat up like walls around the band. I would be seeing nothing!It doesn't help being only 5'2" either. But I thought to myself at least I'm finally seeing my favorite band and drummer in concert live. If nothing else I could hear them!
As always they started with the show with "Dizzy". Which ROCKED live!! I went to where Shera and Milla were seated who I met through Fay's Message Board and tried to get some picture's of the guys. But as I would soon enough learn none of my pictures would come out anyway. If I remember correctly Robby was wearing shoes. Mike like myself was wearing shorts. John had on his famous green homemade cropped pants. Got to love him for those. Anyway it had been very hot in Ohio for days before the concert and it didn't seem like it would ever end. But the night of the show it was in the forties! And do I learn by now how the weather works here? Why no. So I froze.
They did "Long Way Down","Lazy Eye","Slide","Fallin Down","Full Forever","Black Balloon".Then it happened. I had only heard this live. But as some of us well know.Hearing and seeing the Goo in concert are two entirely different things!!! The stage got dark and the lights centered on Mike and flowed to the beat as his started his drum solo for "Naked". He was AMAZING! It was fast,smooth,perfect and he didn't miss a beat. Had I blinked I would have missed it! They did "Name","January Friend",the band intro. By now the crowd was getting fustrated because of security. This was not a rough crowd. They totally went overboard!! Keeping us back so far. But that soon would end. The people behind me were gradually pushing us closer to the stage. So by the time they did "Broadway", "Another Second Time Around","Flat Top" and "Iris" which was AWESOME LIVE!!! and that was it. The guys said bye and walked off the stage. There was a mad rush that came from behind me after that. And I ended up smashed up against the barrier right in front of the stage! WOOHOO!! Soon the guys came back onstage for an encore. John asked the audience where we had been alnight and what took us so long to get there. Can we say SECURITY!?!? Anyway that told everyone to calm down because they didn't want to see anyone get hurt. But like I said this wasn't a rough crowd so everyone was fine. John noticed someone brought a boa in the audience and asked for it till he got it. It was so cute. He wore it for awhile.Someone threw a blowup Alien to John and Robby that had been signed by a bunch of people. And like it's well know. John had woman's under garments thrown at him.Oh like an idiot thinking he could hear or see me. I kept yelling to Mike he ROCKED. It was then I noticed I was under the confetti gun as the started with "Just The Way You Are" That was my favorite part of the concert besides Mike's drum solo. Then came "Burning Up" and "Two Days In February". Then I seen Mike walk off the stage. And Like an idiot I yelled at him,"Where are you going Mike!?" Would I ever learn the man doesn't hear you when there are hundreds yelling with you? Probably no. The stage lights went out. John and Robby jammed with their guitars that lit up with lights. Totally AWESOME!! They smashed stuff on the stage along with Mike's drumset!! Must be nice to release all that energy and not have to clean up after!! I guess this is something they commonly did in their early days. Okay I'm ready for another Goo concert!!
Ahhhhhh!!! Just look how close I got and none of my pictures came out except three! And yes I know they stink, LOL!! But still their mine. :-) And I kept them along with my ticket stub and confetti to remember my first Goo concert!! Hopefully they will be at least another! And I'll have better luck at getting pictures this time! :-)
Ticket stub & confetti
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