BUFFALO, N.Y. — July 2024 marked the 20th anniversary of the Goo Goo Dolls performance in the heavy downpour in front of Buffalo’s City Hall. Despite the rain, the Fourth of July show went on.
The days leading up to the memorable performance were a storm of itself for lead band members John Rzeznik and Robby Takac. Between rehearsals, appearances, and photoshoots it was a whirlwind. Plus, turning Buffalo’s Art Deco City Hall into a stage for an unforgettable experience for the city.
“The lead up to it is what still strikes me the most, like trying to figure out a way to get enough toilets,” said Rzeznik.
For the setup, the Goo Goo Dolls even had to remove a streetlight.
“We didn't know anything about the infrastructure project that it was going to turn into.”
The concert was a push from their record company to film a live DVD – remember those? For the Goo Goo Dolls, there was no doubt that the hometown of Buffalo was the place for the performance.
“No, it had to be,” said Rzeznik. “It had to be.”
The crowd had packed Niagara Square anticipating the band, still soaked in rain from the Ani DiFranco show earlier. The Goo Goo Dolls ripped through half a dozen of their hits before the rain threatened to end the show. But the Goos did not want to stop the show.
“The thing that I remember we at one point we had to stop,” said Rzeznik. “if we don't go down there, they're gonna kill us.”
“Or leave and we didn't want either of that,” said Takac.
They did take one short break, but the show went on despite instruments and equipment failing in the rain.
“When it started really coming down, I thought to myself, this is gonna be incredible,” noted Rzeznik. “This is gonna look amazing in the video.”
Rzeznik added that they had about 15 cameras shooting, but only three survived the rain.
“Our aunt's video cameras and whatever they could just to make the end of it work,” said Takac.
Despite the weather, the show produced memorable moments.
“The guy that climbed the light pole, and he is just hanging off the light pole in the pouring rain, he's hanging on a lightning rod basically,” said Rzeznik. ”That was amazing.”
Somehow the show came together.
“You know, the miracle of that day is that like the second there's lightning you have to stop,” added Takac. “When have you ever seen that much rain with no lightning?”
“We could just keep playing, it was crazy.”
Through all the rain, the Goo Goo Dolls delivered an unforgettable moment and connected with the Buffalo crowd.
“I remember sitting down and taking my shoes off and pouring water out of my shoe and ringing my socks out and then I said sometimes God just throws you a bone and that's what it felt like,” said Rzeznik.
“This was an epic event.”
Even 20 years later, it is an event that lives on through the memories of thousands.