One of the most recent bootlegs I got my hands on is actually comprised of two concerts which took place at the same location, but on different dates. Today we publish the March one, which also features an astounding surprise for all the “Superstar Car Wash” lovers out there.
According to setlist.fm, the Goo Goo Dolls played at The Axis in Boston, MA, a total of three times. One of my sources was able to provide me with the last two shows they did, which both took place in 1991, specifically on March 21st and August 16th. That was part of their “Hold Me Up” tour back then.
Today we post the March one, with the other show to be published in the following days. There is a setlist.fm entry for it, however it’s empty.
The concert itself was your typical “Hold Me Up” performance, with most songs coming from their then-newest release, and a bunch from the previous two albums. Well, not really.
THE MARCH 21st SHOW FEATURES IMPORTANT INSIGHT INTO THE GENESIS OF SUPERSTAR CAR WASH. A SHOCKING REVELATION
Yes, you read that right. A few days ago I made a teaser announcement about something new I have discovered in terms of the history of what I consider to be the best Goo Goo Dolls album ever produced. If you read the suggested post with all the trivia about the album therein linked, you know that “Cuz You’re Gone” was considered to be an old song written around the time “Hold Me Up” was being recorded, or slightly after. We knew no other “Superstar Car Wash” had been written or premiered around that time, speculating most of the writing for it to take part during late 1991 (after their tour was over) and throughout 1992.
Until today.
The March 1991 show in Boston begs to differ. Let’s see what happened in there.
The concert goes smoothly for more than 30 minutes with the mixture of songs aforementioned, coming from their three albums. After having performed “Hey“, the band takes a minute to catch their breath. All of a sudden, Robby makes a bold claim: he announces they will now perform new songs, something that the crowd has never heard before, and invites the latter to pretend they know the lyrics.
Lo and behold, John begins playing his guitar, and the rest is history. “Girl Right Next To Me” is performed, followed by “Close Your Eyes” and then “Cuz You’re Gone“.
I couldn’t believe my ears. Like I stated above, we already knew about the latter tune being a 1991 composition, or even 1990 for that matter (the song was written for John’s former wife and then-girlfriend Laurie Farinacci, whom he met in 1990), so that was not surprising. However, I did not imagine that they had already written the other two songs by that time. I thought it was something they had done at least one year later.
Also, notice how close all of the “Superstar Car Wash” songs performed in that occasion sound to their final counterparts. It’s as if they had already nailed them way back them, and went to the studio in 1992 with a clear idea on how they wanted them to sound. I only noticed some minor changes in the guitar solos and in some of the lyrics as well, but nothing substantial.
Now, I have been using my critical thinking and logic to rationalize this 1991 show. I listened to it a few times, especially the sections right after “Hey” and in-between the “Superstar Car Wash” tunes. I speculated that at the end of “Hey“, whoever digitalized the bootleg had attached sections of another show, one which took place maybe in early 1993. To my ears, the transition between “Hey” and the rest sounds natural and organic. To me, the whole thing seems genuine and real. If you want to analyze it, you’re welcome to do so. I may be wrong and it actually is two different concerts merged together, so another opinion on the matter is required.
For now, I am going with this narrative because that’s how my ears and brain interpret what is in front of me. If I am right, then we have to rewrite a little bit of the history of “Superstar Car Wash”, hence:
- “Girl Right Next To Me” and “Close Your Eyes” mostly likely written around the time “Hold Me Up” was being recorded, or slightly after, just like “Cuz You’re Gone“. In the show we share today, the latter is executed with a very super-cool echo effect I’ve never heard them do before.
- The change of sound from “Hold Me Up” to its sequel did not happen slowly throughout 1991 and 1992, but was likely abrupt if by the beginning of 1991 (or maybe late 1990?) they were already crafting songs more directed toward power pop and alternative rock routes.
- Another important thing to notice is the following: “Cuz You’re Gone” ends without the band saying goodbye to the audience, something they used to do quite a lot back in the day. That either means the bootlegger cut that part out, or the recording itself is incomplete, making me speculate the band may have performed more new “Superstar Car Wash” songs that are not present in this version of the bootleg. This is also reinforced by the fact that Robby introduces the new tunes by saying “Now we’re going to play a sh**load of new songs“, but only three are featured here. Mmmhhhhhmm…
Alright, so there you have it. I have tried my best to validate my claims, and like I said you are more than welcome to add yourself to the peer reviewing process. For now, let’s enjoy this concert.
You can listen to the show below. Download links are available at the end of this post.
TRACK LISTING:
- Laughing
- Up Yours
- On Your Side
- Different Light
- Million Miles Away
- Just The Way You Are
- So Outta Line
- Had Enough
- Two Days In February
- You Know What I Mean
- Torn Apart
- Hey
- Girl Right Next To Me
- Close Your Eyes
- Cuz You’re Gone
Temple of Goo - The rarest Goo Goo Dolls releases, for real Goo fans only 