Goo Goo Dolls come to Northwest

Concert ReviewApril 20, 2011The Missourian

There was a mixed crowd at Northwest this weekend as over 2,500 people packed into Bearcat arena to see the Goo Goo Dolls. The audience roared as the band easily united the obvious generation gap with their popular singles and upbeat hits.

Students were joined Friday night by devout fans traveling from as far as North Dakota to see the band's performance. Dawn Kleinschmit and her husband Kurt traveled all the way from Nebraska to see the band that they have been devoted to for years.

"We have been Goo Goo Dolls fans for almost 15 years now. We saw them on TV when they did an opening for a football game so we got on the Internet to see where they would be touring," Kleinschmit said, "This is the closest they have ever been to us and it was a great price so we had to come."

Illinois native Jenny Camp said she could not help but travel to Northwest after getting word about the band making an appearance.

"We have always been fans and heard about it through a Google alert so we decided to come," Camp said.

The event brought a lot of attention to Northwest, due to ticket advertising in places like St. Joseph Mo. and Omaha Neb.

"I heard they were giving away tickets on the radio and so we called in and won." Toni Starr said, "We are from Iowa so we had to pick up the tickets from Omaha first and then drive here to Maryville. It was worth it, we are such huge fans."

Older fans of the band were not the only ones who came to see the show. Students came to listen to their favorite tunes from the band and share the night with friends. Sophomore Alycia Landon was excited to participate in one of the Student Activities Council's biggest events because the music held a special place in her heart.

"I love the Goo Goo Dolls because I think their music is something that everyone can relate to at one time or another, so why not go and see a band that inspires you?" Landon said. "It is something that is not just for one generation; you have people here in their twenties and their forties so it will bring a lot of new people to campus, it's great publicity."

Because the opening band Vedera came from Blue Springs, Mo., students came from across the state to see them. Lead singer Kristen May said she enjoyed her experience in Maryville and loves interacting with a variety of fans.

"This was our first time being in Maryville." May said. "Our bass player and guitarist had some friends who went here so it was a lot of fun."

"We went on tour with the Goo Goo Dolls last year and it was awesome, one of our best tours. Their fans are radio listeners and music lovers, so a really good audience for us to be playing for, truly inspiring.

SAC did a good job of promoting and choosing for the spring concert this year including not only students but people from all over the Midwest.

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