Concert Review: Goo Goo Dolls and Train Summer 2019 Tour

On Friday, June 14th the Goo Goo Dolls and Train along with opening act Allen Stone performed at the North Island Credit Union Amphitheater in Chula Visa, CA. I thought their performances were filled with positivity, high energy and great musical talent.

After Allen Stone’s performance, which was a great way to start off the evening, the Goo Goo Dolls took their place on the stage. They are an American Rock band that formed in New York in 1986. The current members of the band include guitarist/vocalist Johnny Rzeznik, bassist/ vocalist Robby Takac, drummer George Tutuska, guitarist and backing vocalist Brad Fernquist, keyboard, guitarist and backing vocalist Jim McGorman and drummer and percussionist Craig Macintyre. Some of their well known 90s hits include “Iris” “Slide” and “Sympathy”.

They ran on to the stage and immediately starting playing their well known hit song “Slide” and as soon as the crowd heard the initial lyrics of this song, they started to cheer and many stood up and started to dance. All the musicians had strong stage presence and the bassist/vocalist Robby Takac was running, dancing and jumping on the stage while playing the guitar which was entertaining and cool to see. They played many of their well known hit songs for the audience to enjoy along with some of their new compositions which were appreciated by the audience as well.

After another brief intermission, the American rock band Train which currently consists of lead vocalist Patrick Monahan, bass and vocalist Hector Maldonado, guitarist Luis Maldonado, keyboard and guitarist Jerry Becker and backup vocalists Sakai Smith and Nikita Houston appeared on the stage. They immediately started to play with a high level of enthusiasm and energy. Their opening song “Calling All Angels” got the audience cheering and standing up dancing and engaging in their performance. Along with great music, Train also included many fun theatrical elements into their performance such as cannons shooting off confetti and streamers as well as fireworks sparkler lights shooting off in their opening and closing songs which I thought was really fun. The lead singer Patrick Monahan connected with the audience as he chatted with us throughout the performance and it was also clear to see his emotion and love for music, singing and performing throughout. During the song “Meet Virginia” the guitar solo performed by band member Luis Maldonado was also impressive.

Train collaborated with Allen Stone and the Johnny Rzeznik from Goo Goo dolls at a few points during their performance. They performed a cover of the Queen song “Under Pressure” with Allen Stone and Johnny Rzeznik performed with Train to pay a nice tribute to Tom Petty as they sang a cover of “American Girl”.

After leaving the stage, the audience kept cheering, so Train came back to play a few songs in an encore performance. The final song in the encore was the grammy winning song “Drops of Jupiter” which had the many people in audience singing along.

Both the Goo Goo Dolls and Train brought their greatest hits and new music to the performance with great enthusiasm. The musicians and the audience all shared in their passion for music which I thought made for a fun and positive show.

Tickets are on sale now at Ticketmaster.com.

Don’t miss your chance to see Train + Goo Goo Dolls with special guest Allen Stone this summer! See the setlist and the rest of the remaining tour dates below!

1. Stay With You
2. Big Machine
3. Slide
4. Rebel Beat
5. Here Is Gone
6. Black Balloon
7. Free of Me
8. So Alive
9. Sympathy
10. Name
11. Miracle Pill
12. Bringing on the Light
13. Over and Over
14. Better Days
15. Iris
16. Broadway

Train: Setlist

Train and Goo Goo Dolls 2019 Summer Tour Dates:

June 7th – Auburn, WA @ White River Amphitheatre
June 8th – Ridgefield, WA @ Sunlight Supply Amphitheater
June 9th – Airway Heights, WA @ Northern Quest Casino & Resort (no Allen Stone)
June 11th – Santa Barbara, CA @ Santa Barbara Bowl
June 12th – Phoenix, AZ @ AK-CHIN Pavilion
June 14th – Chula Vista, CA @ North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre
June 15th – Mountain View, CA @ Shoreline Amphitheatre
June 16th – Irvine, CA @ FivePoint Amphitheater
June 18th – West Valley City, UT @ USANA Amphitheatre
June 20th – Denver, CO @ Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre
June 21st – Kansas City, MO @ Starlight Theatre
June 22nd – Maryland Heights, MO @ Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
June 23rd – Southhaven, MS @ BankPlus Amphitheater at Snowden Grove
June 25th – Council Bluffs, IA @ Harrah’s Council Bluffs – Stir Cove
June 26th – Rogers, AR @ Walmart AMP
June 28th – Woodlands, TX @ Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
June 29th – Dallas, TX @ Dos Equis Pavilion
July 6th – West Palm Beach, FL @ Coral Sky Amphitheatre
July 7th – Tampa, FL @ MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre
July 9th – Jacksonville, FL @ Daily’s Place
July 10th – Alpharetta, GA @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheater at Encore Park
July 12th – Charlotte, NC @ PNC Music Pavilion
July 13th – Raleigh, NC @ Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek Amphitheater
July 14th – Virginia Beach, VA @ Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater at Virginia Beach
July 16th – Nashville, TN @ Ascend Amphitheater
July 18th – Walker, MN @ Moondance Jam
July 20th – Tinley Park, IL @ Hollywood Casino Amphitheater
July 21st – Noblesville, IN @ Ruoff Home Mortgage Music Center
July 23rd – Clarkston, MI @ DTE Energy Music Theatre
July 24th – Cincinnati, OH @ Riverbend Music Center
July 26th – Saratoga Springs, NY @ Saratoga Performing Arts Center
July 27th – Bethel, NY @ Bethel Woods Center for the Arts
July 28th – Gilford, NH @ Meadowbrook Music Pavilion
July 30th – Bangor, ME @ Darling’s Waterfront Park Pavilion
August 1st – Scranton, PA @ Pavilion at Montage Mountain
August 2nd – Canandaigua, NY @ Constellation Brands Marvin Sands Performing Arts Center
August 3rd – Wantagh, NY @ Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater
August 6th – Bethlehem, PA @ Musikfest
August 7th – Burgettstown, PA @ KeyBank Pavilion
August 9th – Columbia, MD @ Merriweather Post Pavilion
August 10th – Camden, NJ @ BB&T Pavilion
August 11th – Uncasville, CT @ Mohegan Sun Arena
August 14th – Cuyahoga Falls, OH @ Blossom Music Center
August 16th – Holmdel, NJ @ PNC Bank Arts Center
August 17th – Mansfield, MA @ Xfinity Center

Jacqueline Nofal| Writing Contributor
B.A | Communicatons | UC San Diego
Jacqueline is fourth year student at UC San Diego and will receive a BA in Communications and minor in music this June. She has always loved writing, telling stories and making people laugh. She is continuously captivated by a story’s ability to inspire, entertain or bring hope to people. She loves reading, watching movies and definitely anything Disney! She also has a love for music. She has been singing most of her life and is currently singing in the La Jolla Symphony Chorus. In her other free time you can find her traveling, volunteering, listening to music, going to the beach and just enjoying the San Diego sunshine! Instagram @jackie.nofal |