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Goo Goo Dolls @ Manchester Academy – nostalgic memories flooding Manchester

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Featured image and gallery: Ben Redshaw


New York comes to Manchester as the Goo Goo Dolls make their triumphant return to Manchester since their last performance in 2020 at the Albert Hall. The Buffalo rock band put on a spectacular show with a nostalgic flood of memories as the Manc crowd sang along to every word.

With the release of their newest album, Chaos in Bloom, the American classics made a pit stop in Manchester.

The crowd was treated to support from the notorious Welsh rock band Those Damn Crows. What a performance they had, energising the audience with their greatest hits and an incredible visual concert. Frontman Shane Greenhall had everyone in the sold-out venue jumping around and singing along to their rock anthems.

Without wasting a moment of time, Those Damn Crows opened their performance with ‘Who did it’ Instantly, the crowd was eager for the evening ahead of them. There were many fans of Those Damn Crows in the audience that evening; Shane even pointed out a few that were representing the band with their merchandise. Further into the set, ‘Man on Fire’ began, and the audience went wild.

Closing their unforgettable set was ‘See You Again, one of, if not their most, well-known songs. This incredible band is continuing to tour with the Goo Goo Dolls throughout their Europe leg of the tour and will make an appearance at Steelhouse Festival at the end of July.

Soon after, the packed Manchester Academy was full of joy as the Goo Goo Dolls returned to Manchester, starting their concert with ‘Yeah, I like you’, one of their newer releases from over the years. ‘Home’, ‘Slide’, and ‘Dizzy’ soon followed, with the band dancing around on stage and bouncing off the energy coming from their devoted fans.

Later on in the evening, the tone was brought down slightly with a more melodic tune. While ‘Come to Me’ was playing, the crowd was spotted taking a moment to be with their loved ones as they swayed together in unison. Strangers around the room came together to hear this acoustic melody.

With the evening ending, the Buffalo band sang one last song with their fans as they closed the show with ‘Broadway.’ No one was moving an inch until they heard the 2010s classics they had been anticipating the whole evening.

With no surprise at all, the Goo Goo Dolls came back to the spotlight for their encore to a huge ovation. After singing ‘Naked’, ‘Iris’ was the closing song of the evening, but tonight was different. A very special guest took the stage; a young fan had been invited to sing the final lyrics.


Those Damn Crows Supporting Goo Goo Dolls at Manchester Academy


Goo Goo Dolls at Manchester Academy


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Ben Redshaw

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