Fresh off the plane from the United States for their first Australian tour in more than 20 years, the Goo Goo Dolls headed straight to Canberra, settling into their digs at the Hyatt, dining at Marble and Grain and rehearsing at the AIS Arena.

The band performs at the AIS on Thursday night, playing all their hits, including their 1998 hit Iris, which continues to resonate nearly three decades after its release.

Lead singer John Rzeznik and vocalist and bass player Robby Takac, who formed the band in Buffalo, New York in 1986, were glad to kick off their national Summer Anthem tour in laidback Canberra. The weather in Canberra may not be full-on summer at the moment, but it's better than minus-eight degrees back home.

"I've just been enjoying the beautiful place where we're staying and the weather is so gorgeous," Rzeznik said.

"I live in New Jersey, Robby lives in Buffalo and it's freezing. It's ugly and cold right now. And kind of nice to take a break from the States at the moment."

"Yeah, it's intense over there, man," Takac said.

Takac said it was 17 degrees Fahrenheit (minus eight degrees Celsius) in Buffalo at the moment and he was enjoying the calmness of Canberra.

"I took a great walk this morning around the [Nara] Peace Park behind our hotel there and it's just beautiful, man," Takac said.

The band was in Canberra a year ago supporting Matchbox 20.

This time, they are the headline act and the spotlight is on them, with the tour taking them across Australia.

"You know, when folks came out last time, we were super grateful to be where we were, but we couldn't do our own show," Takac said.

"So, it's going to be great to come out and do our own show."

Rzeznik agreed.

"When you're opening for somebody, Robby and I are of the mindset we're guests, because it's their house. On Thursday, this is our house," he said.

"We're going to do a big rock show and we're going to play all the hits and we want everyone to sing along and have a good time."

Their biggest hit is Iris, which went to number one around the world and sold millions of copies.

"I'm always very grateful for that song because it gave this band a chance to have a career for coming up on 40 years," Rzeznik said.

"I think when I wrote that I was at some crossroads in my life and that song was really important to me. Sometimes, I feel like it's overshadowed everything else we've done but, you know, better to have one than none."

Takac said they never took for granted how much their fans loved the song.

"I think if you lose sight of how exciting it is to have an entire building full of people singing a song along with you," he said.

"No matter where you are in the world," Rzeznik added.

"Then you've lost the plot entirely."

Rzeznik said he'd met plenty of big rock stars who refused to play their biggest hits. He'd never be one of them.

"Nobody's forcing you to be here 'Mr Rock Star'," he said.

"You can go back to Buffalo and be a bartender any time you want."

The band will also be filming a spot for Australian Idol, because one of the contestants will be singing Iris. They love that new generations keep discovering the song.

"You know what's funny? I'll see something online, like Iris will be in the top 10 in, like, Brazil two years ago. And I'm like, 'Someone must have sung it'. That tends to happen a lot," Takac said.

And what does Goo Goo Dolls mean?

"Nothing," Rzeznik said.

"We just made something up. I've been looking for the perfect [explanation]. It has no meaning but we're stuck with it.

"It doesn't seem to have hurt us."