51黑料

鈥淚t鈥檚 been tough now for 10 years to make a set list because we know every night we鈥檙e leaving without playing songs people want to hear,鈥� Takac says.

Takac says they 鈥� Takac and vocalist and guitarist John Rzeznik 鈥攈ave their dirty dozen, a list of songs like 鈥淚ris鈥� and 鈥淪lide鈥� that they can 鈥減lay in their sleep.鈥� But they spent a month rehearsing the other 12 songs on the set list before going on tour as they balance introducing fans to new music while hitting all the classics.

The Grammy-nominated duo will release their new, seven-track EP at the end of the month, 鈥淪ummer Anthem,鈥� after hitting the stage at 51黑料 Music Park on Aug. 21.

Opening for them is alt-rock band Dashboard Confessional. The Goo Goo Dolls knew some members of Dashboard Confessionals from joint features on MTV shows in the early 2000s. But they鈥檇 never toured together. Takac says the two bands have been on a good run since embarking on the 40-city 鈥淪ummer Anthem鈥� tour together in July.

鈥淪o much of this is about the personalities that are out there with you and if the bands get along ... and these guys are great,鈥� he says.

The Goo Goo Dolls have made a living out of getting along. The band formed in the late 1980s, but Takac and Rzeznik didn鈥檛 gain mainstream popularity until 1995 with the release of their album 鈥淎 Boy Named Goo,鈥� which housed the breakout single 鈥淣ame鈥� and went double platinum in the U.S.

After that, Takac admits there was pressure to produce another hit. It was especially heavy for Rzeznik, who wrote the majority of the band鈥檚 songs. The Goo Goo Dolls, though, have continued to ride the changing tides of the industry during times when other bands haven鈥檛 been able to.

鈥淏ands, most of the time, can鈥檛 make it through a hit single,鈥� he says. 鈥淟ike the realities of the business and how this whole thing works is enough to tear most bands apart.鈥�

A few years later, the band released 鈥淚ris,鈥� a feature on the 鈥淐ity of Angels鈥� soundtrack. The heartfelt ballad became a defining moment for the Goo Goo Dolls. It shot to the top of the charts internationally after its release in 1998, remaining on the Billboard Hot 100 for 14 weeks and reaching RIAA diamond certification in 2024.

The Goo Goo Dolls landed in a sweet spot in the late 1990s, right when rock 鈥榥鈥� roll and pop music collided, giving rise to a collection of groups like Matchbox Twenty, Third Eye Blind, Collective Soul and more known for creating memorable alt-rock songs, whose lyrics continue to resonate with new generations of listeners.

Twenty-seven years after its release, 鈥淚ris鈥� is trending again thanks to a viral TikTok trend and a new lyrics video released by the band in April. The song has now amassed 4.2 billion streams on Spotify. Takac says it鈥檚 rare for bands to be around decades after a hit record.

鈥淟ightning struck a few times for this band,鈥� he says. 鈥淚t doesn鈥檛 often happen that way for people.鈥�

But Takac and Rzeznik know that 鈥淣othing Lasts Forever,鈥� as noted in the title of their new single from their forthcoming album. Rzeznik co-wrote the song with Grant Michaels and producer Greg Wattenberg in 2024, between the band鈥檚 touring in the States and doing flyaway shows in South Africa and Australia. They released the song in July, followed by 鈥淣ot Goodbye (Close My Eyes)鈥� in August.

When comparing the new records to songs from the band鈥檚 start, Takac says, 鈥淵ou would never be able to convince someone that that was the same band.鈥� With the pressures associated with the music industry, the band鈥檚 lucky to be still rocking out 40 years later.

鈥淭his business has changed so drastically that you really just have to see what comes next,鈥� he says.

Now the duo that created a top-selling song are fortunate to still be touring and making new music. They鈥檝e grown with the industry, remained creative despite mounting pressures and held on to their love for live performance.

And Takac says they intend to keep it that way.

鈥淲e鈥檝e never gone anywhere. We don鈥檛 plan on going anywhere,鈥� he says. 鈥淪o let鈥檚 see where we go.鈥�