Goddo says goodbye in Niagara Falls
Greg Godovitz knows you’ve heard it before from other bands: The ‘final’ show. The farewell. The end of the road.
Which is why he wants to make one thing clear — when Goddo plays the Seneca Queen Theatre in Niagara Falls this Saturday, there won’t be a next show. This is where they say goodbye.
Goddo will be gone.
So the obvious question is … why Niagara Falls? Why not Toronto, where the power rock trio got their start in the late ’70s?
“I really think we owe it to the citizens of Toronto to do our final show (there), but it doesn’t look like that’s going to happen for a number of reasons, so looks like Niagara Falls is it,” says Godovitz from his home in Scarborough.
“There’s no venue available (in Toronto) big enough in the time frame required, for a number of personal reasons for various guys in the band. And quite frankly, I want to do something new. I’m a youngish 67.”
Godovitz was reluctant for word to leak this would be the band’s swan song, but once the promoter caught wind it spread quickly online. Even so, he insists this won’t be much different than any other Goddo gig. Fans who caught them back in the day at Uncle Sam’s will get much the same show.
Which is part of the reason he’s pulling the plug — 43 years is enough.
“I’ve written over 300 songs. We recorded about 140 of them, I think. But we’ve only ever played like 35 of them live. I’ve been playing the same 35 songs forever. I’d like to visit the other kids, you know?”
Of course, fans were told Goddo was finished before, only for them to come back with some new release or greatest hits package. This time, Godovitz insists he has new projects and new music he wants to pursue. Even if there’s an offer to play Toronto one last time, he does not want to rehearse again with possibly new members.
“If it’s January or Februrary, that means we have to go through the whole thing again,” he says. “What I don’t want to do is what happened when I was in Fludd. All of a sudden I’m in a rehearsal hall with a new keyboard player or drummer, learning songs that I’ve been playing for 5,000 performances. I really don’t want to sit down and teach someone how to play ‘Pretty Bad Boy.’
“Quite frankly, I’ve had enough. I’ve already got a bunch of guys lined up for a new band.”
Convincing fans Niagara Falls is the last show hasn’t been easy.
“I’m being attacked all over the place on social media,” says Godovitz. “I’m not the guy that washes his laundry in public, so I have to bear the brunt of it and soldier on.”
And so, one last time, Goddo will trot out those chunky barroom rockers — “Sweet Thing,” “There Goes My Baby,” “Pretty Bad Boy” and plenty more that accompanied many boozy nights. Godovitz promises to do what he always does — “give 100 per cent” — but he’s neither eager nor sad to see it end.
“I would have liked to have gone out with a huge bang as opposed to a marginal whimper. But if we play like we have the last couple of dates, everybody’s in for a great show.”
Afterwards, Godovitz intends on being much like his dad — working into his 90s.
“Not everyone gets old the same way,” he says. “God bless those Rolling Stones for making it easier on young guys like myself !”