Goo Goo Dolls to play Benton Franklin Fair on Aug. 23
Grammy Award-nominated alternative rock band the Goo Goo Dolls — behind such infectious ‘90s hits as “Iris” and “Slide” — will play the Benton Franklin Fair in Kennewick on Aug. 23.
The fair announced Monday that the hit makers would play a set as part of the Benton Franklin Fair’s 2024 Summer Concert Series, sponsored by Hayden Homes.
The show starts 7:45 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 23. Admission to the fair is required to attend the concert.
Reserved seat tickets go on sale 9 a.m. Friday, April 12, and start at $30.
The Goo Goo Dolls have been staple on alternative radio waves for nearly four decades now with their iconic acoustic guitardriven, rock-pop fusion. They hold the all-time radio record for “Most Top 10 Singles.”
“Beyond selling 15 million records worldwide, the group has earned four Grammy Award nominations and nearly a dozen platinum and gold singles combined, and seized a page in the history books by achieving 16 No. 1’s and Top 10 hits,” reads their biography on the Benton Franklin Fair website.
Singer John Rzeznik and bassist Robby Takac originally formed the Goo Goo Dolls in Buffalo, New York, in 1986 as a cover band.
While the band began with a more rock-punk sound, it was their more acoustic-centered songs that brought them widespread success, in particular the song “Name” off their fifth album, 1995’s “A Boy Named Goo.”
Their sixth studio album, “Dizzy Up The Girl,” launched the Goo Goo Dolls into immediate rock stardom with songs like “Slide” and “Broadway.”
“Iris,” the album’s preeminent power ballad, has since been certified seventimes platinum by the RIAA and landed at No. 39 on Rolling Stone’s list of 100 greatest songs.
The song held No. 1 on the Hot 100 for 18 weeks straight when it was first released, and has seen a resurgence in popularity on music apps such as Tiktok. On Spotify, “Iris” has been streamed more than 1.6 billion times.
“Their music continues to reach new audiences around the world and rack up platinum and gold statuses... and has been covered by everyone from Taylor Swift to Phoebe Bridgers and Maggie Rogers,” reads their bio.
The 2024 Benton Franklin Fair and Rodeo takes place Aug. 20-24 at the Benton County Fairgrounds in Kennewick. The fair has been held in the Tri-cities for 76 years.
Eric Rosane: @rosanereports