Goo Goo Dolls & Dashboard Confessional Deliver Epic Sold-Out Toronto Show

Toronto’s waterfront felt like a festival long before the music began. With the Canadian National Exhibition just days away, the lot beside BMO Field was already dominated by a giant Ferris wheel, casting slow-moving shadows over cars hunting for parking. Since August 1, the city hadn’t seen a drop of rain; the evening was another scorcher, and Budweiser Stage felt like a Saturday night despite the calendar insisting otherwise.

At 7:30 PM, Dashboard Confessional opened the night, their set a direct portal back to early-2000s. Chris Carrabba’s voice, still sharp, steered the crowd through The Best Deceptions, Saints and Sailors, and Stolen like they were written yesterday. The set also featured No More Bad Days, a collaboration with The Rocking Horse Winner — fronted by Jolie Lindholm, who now lends her voice as Dashboard’s backing vocalist.

Technical trouble struck during Vindicated, when the band’s in-ear monitors failed. Instead of stalling, Carrabba adjusted. Before starting Screaming Infidelities, he told the audience about the echo bouncing back at him and asked them to carry the song with him. They did, their voices swelling around his acoustic guitar in what became an unplanned, almost unplugged moment. The problem never resolved, leaving Hands Down unplayed — a jagged edge to an otherwise tight performance.

Just before the Goo Goo Dolls took the stage at 9:10 PM, one of their crew members grabbed a cordless vacuum and turned the empty stage into a makeshift spotlight. To the tune of Queen’s I Want to Break Free, he danced and posed—mock guitar in hand, playful slaps to the rear—warming up the crowd and reminding everyone this night would have its share of humor amid the hits.

Then the Goo Goo Dolls took the stage, greeted by a roar that seemed to shake the night itself. John Rzeznik’s voice carried the warmth and grit of decades lived on the road, cutting clean through the summer heat. Robby Takac kept the pulse alive, prowling the stage with his bass — notably wearing socks, an unexpected flourish that somehow fit the night’s laid-back, authentic vibe.

From my spot, I couldn’t help but notice the small forest of acoustic guitars waiting side stage — more than I’ve ever seen for a single show. Rzeznik seemed to swap instruments for nearly every song, each guitar chosen with a precision that suggested not just sound preference, but a deliberate match between wood, strings, and the mood of each track.

The band tore through Naked, Slide, and Dizzy with crisp energy before easing into the deep-blue melancholy of Black Balloon. Rzeznik’s stage banter was minimal but meaningful — introducing Sympathy with the story of writing it in a rehab room that happened to contain a guitar. The new track Ocean rippled with promise, while Miracle Pill turned the entire crowd into a forest of raised arms, belly buttons visible just as Rzeznik demanded.

Bud Stage has hosted the Goo Goo Dolls many times, but this was, by Rzeznik’s own admission, their biggest Canadian show ever — sold out “to the ceiling.” From the floor to the rafters, every voice joined in Name, and by the time the final encore (Iris) arrived, the city itself seemed to be singing. I had left after Broadway to beat the post-show crush, but as I reached the parking lot near BMO Field, the sound of 16,000 fans carrying Iris into the night was so loud that I regretted leaving, a mistake I won’t make next time.

Special thanks to Louis D’Adamio (2B Entertainment) and Ilo Domingues at Live Nation for the accreditation and the opportunity to cover this incredible night at Budweiser Stage.

Goo Goo Dolls

Dashboard Confessionals

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Drew Osborne

I’m Drew, the founder and editor of Front of the Stage. I have a strong love for music and photography, which started at a very young age. There’s just something I love about experiencing live music and capturing memories that will last a lifetime, and that’s how Front of the Stage came to be.