Goo Goo Dolls ride wave of nostalgia into Winnipeg show

You’ve probably seen the latest millennial nostalgia trend circulating on social media.

It starts with a modern image of a celebrity, say, Winona Ryder, Brendan Fraser or Alyson Hannigan and a caption that reads, “Mom/Dad, what were you like in the ‘90s?” An acoustic guitar noodles wistfully in the background. The clip cuts to a sappy slideshow of youthful red carpet photos from 30 years prior set to the breathy opening verse of Iris by the Goo Goo Dolls: And I’d give up forever to touch you / ‘Cause I know that you feel me somehow

The crowd at Canada Life Centre on Saturday night had to wait until the very end of the evening to hear the American pop-rock band’s quintessential ‘90s track. Thankfully, the journey to get there was fun and full of sing-able earworms.

The Goo Goo Dolls are in the middle of a cross-Canada tour buoyed by the recent trending audio moment and following the release of its 2025 EP, Summer Anthem.

Sporting a grey tee and a blond shag, lead singer John Rzeznik appeared at centre stage bathed in light and strumming along to Naked off the band’s breakout 1995 album, A Boy Named Goo.

The set was simple, a spacious stage with a black backdrop bearing the band’s name in white lettering. The purple hair of Goo Goo Dolls co-founder and bassist Robby Takac frequently matched the production’s colourful light show.

Formed in Buffalo, N.Y., in 1985, the prolific band gained widespread acclaim after shedding its earlier punk sound in favour of a more polished rock vibe. The Goo Goo Dolls have since released 14 studio albums and earned four Grammy nominations.

Saturday’s setlist jumped around the band’s discography and didn’t just save the best for last. Hits like Slide and Black Balloon came early, the latter paired with a sad half-dozen black balloons released to bounce around the crowd.

Things got slow and melodic during the acoustic middle, during which Rzeznik shredded on his guitar and performed solos of Acoustic #3 and Sympathy — written during the singer’s stint in rehab — before inviting the rest of the band back on stage for Name.

Despite a few momentary lulls during transitions, the energy rose once again during the back half of the jammy 90-minute show.

The band ripped through a few newer and lesser known tracks, such as 2025’s Not Goodbye (Close My Eyes), before teeing up the grand finale.

Iris was written for the soundtrack of the 1998 film City of Angels starring Meg Ryan and Nicolas Cage and was included (among many other hit singles) on the band’s sixth record, Dizzy Up The Girl. The song was an instant classic, spending a record-making 18 weeks on the Billboard Top 100 and later becoming diamond certified.

On a cold spring Saturday in Winnipeg, the opening riff of Iris was greeted with reverent cheers and swaying cellphone flashlights before the crowd of 7,200 people joining Rzeznik in a booming singalong.

While some bands gloss over their most monumental songs, the Goo Goo Dolls gave Iris its well-deserved due.

The house lights rose. The band and crowd lingered momentarily, they didn’t wanna go home right now. Not just yet, anyways.

– – –

Dashboard Confessional opened the show with The Best Deceptions, a defiant acoustic song about infidelity from the band’s sophomore album, The Places You Have Come to Fear the Most. It’s a track that gets straight to the point: angsty feelings and frontman Chris Carrabba’s impressive upper register.

This hour-long set goes out to all the sad boys and girls who like their ennui heavy and hopeful.

The Florida emo-rock band brought a taste of its sunny home state by way of a beachy backdrop that was transformed into a sea of stars during slower numbers.

Dashboard Confessional broke onto the scene in 2000 and has released eight studio albums over the past 26 years. On Saturday, Carrabba and his bandmates — Scott Schoenbeck, Armon Jay, new drummer Trevor Hogan and Kenny Bridges of Brampton indie-rock band Moneen — played a few new tunes but largely stuck with hits from the aughts.

The 50-year-old lead singer has taken excellent care of his instrument; his vocals were crisp and clear and sounded like they hadn’t aged a day.

Wearing a white shirt and tight black pants, Carrabba chatted comfortably between songs and even led a group stretching session, which gave the somewhat subdued crowd permission to stand and clap along to Again I Go Unnoticed from the band’s debut album, The Swiss Army Romance.

The set closed with two of the band’s biggest crowdpleasers, Vindicated and Hands Down.

winnipegfreepress.com/evawasney