The GooGoo Dolls and opening act Lisa Loeb played for a sold-out crowd at the House of Blues in Myrtle Beach, S.C., Nov. 29. The freezing temperatures that night did nothing to curb the excitement, as an overwhelmingly exhilarated audience packed into the club. At quarter after eight, Lisa Loeb took the stage with nothing but her acoustic guitar and a Hello Kitty doll (the mascot for her new album Hello Lisa). Lisa looked a tough crowd head on and accepted the challenge by playing her heart out.

She opened her set with a few of her older songs and followed them up with tunes off her new album. Lisa sounded great and brought the audience to life when she played her hit “Stay.” Although the crowd came ready to rock, Lisa Loeb played beautifully, and no doubt picked up a few new fans that night. About 9:30 a gauzy curtain was dropped in front of the stage, the lights were dimmed and the crowd went wild with anticipation. Amid a flurry of flashing lights and an incredible drum solo, The GooGoo Dolls blasted on stage with enough enthusiasm and energy to fill an entire stadium. An incredible mix of songs followed, from the new Gutterflower album as well as all of their classic hits. After jumpstarting the concert with the unabashed rock of “Naked” and “Long Way Down,” they launched into an amazing version of one of their biggest hits, “Slide.” Unlike other concerts, The GooGoo Dolls showed a real loyalty to their audience by playing the songs the fans wanted to hear. “Name,” “Black Balloon,” “Here is Gone” and “Iris” all made the set list.

The crowd was even invited by front man John Rzeznik to sing the opening lines of “Broadway.” By the end of the show, John, bass player, Robby Takac, and drummer, Mike Malinin, had the audience fired up and begging for more. After a brief break the boys returned to stage for an encore featuring the Robby staple “January Friend,” as well as an extraordinary cover of “American Girl” by Tom Petty. Almost as incredible as the music itself was the relationship The GooGoo Dolls had with their audience. John Rzeznik joked with the audience about his plans to combat terrorism, accepted gifts from his fans, and even took a drag off an audience member’s cigarette. John, Robby and Mike showed a respect for their fans that many musicians don’t have, and the closeness made the concert more amazing. Lisa Loeb and The GooGoo Dolls offered a truly original concert, both amazing and fun, that the audience will never forget.