This show is: Not Rated
This DVD is from a series of shows that aired on MTV called “Music in High Places”. The idea was to send bands to interesting places around the world and have them perform acoustically. The Goo Goo Dolls episode was filmed the summer of 2002 in various locations around Alaska.
For those of you that don’t know, The Goo Goo Dolls are:
John Rzeznik – Vocals, Guitar
Robby Takac – Bass, Vocals
Mike Malinin – Drums
Greg Suran – who is on the DVD, is not a regular member of the band, but was lucky enough to be invited along to provide additional guitar and mandolin.
The band originated in 1986 in Buffalo, New York. John and Robby are original/founding members. Mike joined the band in 1995. At the time of this DVD they would be considered alternative rock. Although, their most recent CD “Let Love In” puts them more in the pop genre. They are currently in the recording studio working on their upcoming CD and I desperately hope that they will sway back into alternative rock.
The show is beautifully shot and the scenery is absolutely stunning. All of the locations are in more remote parts of the state, which is nice. The audio is great and all of the songs they do are well suited to acoustic.
If you play the entire program (instead of just playing the song tracks) you get songs intermixed with the band doing things around the area, like dog sledding and mud sliding. Plus at the end, before the credits start rolling you get some extra stuff; such as John & Robby goofing around and footage of what it takes to get the equipment to some of the remote locations.
During the program the following songs are played:
Black Balloon (from “Dizzy Up the Girl”)
Acoustic #3 (from “Dizzy Up the Girl”)
Broadway (from “Dizzy Up the Girl”)
Here is Gone (from “Gutterflower”)
Big Machine (from “Gutterflower”)
What a Scene (from “Gutterflower”)
Slide (from “Dizzy Up the Girl”)
Areas of Alaska That They Visit:
Lake George
Punchbowl Glacier
Knik Glacier
Hope
Kotzebue
Some of the places you get to see them perform are; while standing on floating chunks of ice in the glacier melt, in a small town bar, on a train going between Seward and Portage. In addition to seeing the band and the amazing scenery, you also get to see people that live in the areas they visit and a bit about their culture.
I have to say my favorite part is when John and Robby go mud sliding with the kids in Hope. They look like they are having a blast and the kids were just thrilled to have them there. It’s fun to watch John and Robby just goofing around and having fun. They seem like nice guys and that they would be fun to hang out with. Side note: a friend of mine is a flight attendant and he had them on one of his flights. He said they were the nicest most down to earth guys.
If you check out the “Just the Music” section you will find two additional songs:
Sympathy (from “Gutterflower”) – sung by John
You Never Know (from “Gutterflower”) – sung by Robby (it’s mislabeled on the DVD)
In the special features section you have more footage of the townspeople in Kotzebue and more about the train trip. There is also a nice written biography for the band. I thought this was a great DVD. Not only were the performances themselves great, it’s also fun to watch them inter-act with the people and do fun activities.
A few months before this program was filmed I was lucky enough to see The Goo Goo Dolls perform at The Greek Theatre in Los Angeles. They were fabulous. John sings most of the songs when they play live and he is a great frontman. He has a good strong voice and also has a great stage presence. Robby usually sings two or three of his songs and while I love them on the CDs he isn’t as strong live.
Jan
