2013 Summer Tour - Matchbox 20 and Goo Goo Dolls in Charlotte NC, Aug 6

Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre in Charlotte, NC Feature a Fantastic Show Perfect for An Evening on the Town with Friends and a Limo

Looking for a concert this Summer featuring big productions, huge collaborations, and lots of fun.  Coming to Charlotte on August 6 will be Matchbox Twenty and Goo Goo Dolls for the “Magnetic North” tour.  The show has already been seen in various cities.  Reporting from St. Louis, Kelly Quirin of Playback writes: 

"... Goo Goo Dolls. For a band that has been around for two decades, the guys of the Goo Goo Dolls still pack a lot of energy into their performance. While the band spent more time playing than interacting with the audience, they definitely didn’t put on a boring show. Their part of the night opened with “Long Hard Night.” Could this have been a prelude to the hot night all of the band members would have to endure? The group played their most well-known songs including “Slide,” “Iris,” and “Name,” the latter of which was the band’s first big hit 18 years ago. Lead vocalist Johnny Rzeznik told the crowd that he knew the band had made it when he heard “Name,” while grocery shopping. When the starting notes of “Black Balloon” began, a bunch of black balloons were release into the front of the crowd. A bit cliché? Perhaps, but the front center section seemed to have fun hitting them around. Rzeznik sounded great throughout the night. A few songs had vocalist Robby Takac on lead, and those vocals could have been stronger. Takac had a nasal, whiny feel in contrast to Rzeznik’s soft pop vocals. Goo Goo Dolls are touring to promote their new album, Magnetic. Their set included a new song from the new album, including “Come to You,” which was performed karaoke-style so that the crowd could learn the words. The set ended with the crowd singing along to the hit “Broadway.” Their set was solid; full of energy and fun.

Matchbox Twenty closed out the night with an energetic set. The most memorable part of the evening with Matchbox Twenty was their stage set, which included three giant cubes that were actually huge multi-sided video screens. Those cubes were a focal point throughout their show, with complementing videos and up close shots of the band for each song. The band performed a mix of their hits, band favorites, and songs from the new album. Overall, the band had a light-hearted, joking attitude and front man Rob Thomas kept the crowd involved in the show. He told the crowd, “we want to make tonight special for you guys too.” Thomas also made several jokes about things he didn’t want to see on Twitter later that night, earning a few laughs from the crowd. Thomas led the guys of Matchbox Twenty with an emotional performance; everything he felt about the songs was written all over his face and evident in his body language. The highlight of the night for Matchbox Twenty was probably when a huge alarm clock appeared on the screen and froze at 3:00 a.m. The crowd went crazy for a “3 a.m.” sing-along. The band also played hits including “Unwell,” “Bright Lights,” “How Far We’ve Come,” and newest hit “She’s So Mean.” They closed out their encore with “Push,” which seemed to be another crowd favorite.

Goo Goo Dolls and Matchbox Twenty, with opener Kate Earl, brought the fun and excitement to a hot summer night that a collaborative summer tour promises. Though each band has been around for almost 20 years, the men in the bands made each song seem fresh and exciting. Touring and performing seem fun to these guys, and their energy shone through to the fans that suffered through the heat to see them. |Kelly Quirin