The Goo Goo Dolls have come a long way since their birth in 1985 as a Replacements-wannabe garage rock band with the only slightly more silly moniker Sex Maggots, going on to become one of the best power ballad bands of the '90s. Fronted by lead singer/guitarist Johnny Rzeznik (whose rock star pretty boy looks have helped make the band a hit with that all-important female 'tween demographic), with Robby Takac on bass, and Mike Malinin on drums, the Dolls descend on Alaska in this edition of the popular Music in High Places series to perform seven acoustic versions of numbers drawn from their 1998 album Dizzy Up the Girl ("Broadway," "Acoustic #3," "Black Balloon," and the big hit "Slide") and their latest release, 2002's Gutterflower ("Big Machine," "What a Scene," and the single "Here Is Gone"). Fans will surely be a little disappointed by the absence of the band's two best-known songs ("Name" and "Iris," the latter off the City of Angels soundtrack), but it's still fun to watch the boys precariously playing songs on ice floes, participating in a human blanket toss during a Native American ceremony, or literally getting down and dirty during an exuberant session of mud sliding with local kids. Sporting two bonus featurettes, and presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 or 2.0 sound, this is a solid, entertaining mix of music and sights. Recommended. Aud: P. (R. Pitman)
Goo Goo Dolls: Live in Alaska
(2003) 58 min. DVD: $19.99. Image Entertainment (avail. from most distributors). Color cover. Volume 18, Issue 3
Goo Goo Dolls: Live in Alaska
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