Goo Goo Dolls at Zoo Amphitheater in Oklahoma City on September 11, 2025.
Photos and Review by The Pit Magazine Contributor Nicole Pollock
On September of 2022, The Goo Goo Dolls performed in Oklahoma City at The Zoo Amphitheater. In September of 2025, the band came back to the Zoo Amp for their Summer Anthem tour. I am lucky enough to say I got to cover both of these shows! And even 3 years later, the show does not disappoint.
The venue was not swarmed as soon as doors opened but instead, fans very slowly trickled in. The amphitheater lawn began to fill up as the day was starting to cool down. The setting sun was shining on the huge Dashboard Confessional backdrop as we waited for the opener to take the stage. The band’s frontman, Chris Cabbarra, took the stage solo and started “The Best Deceptions” before the rest of the band joined. Their set was short and to the point, performing fan favorites such as “Vindicated” and “Screaming Infidelities.” They wrapped up their performance with “Hands Down.”
Dashboard Confessional Gallery
The sun had set by the time The Goo Goo Dolls took the stage. They got straight to the point with their song “Naked” and by the second song, “Slide” the majority of the audience was on their feet. John Rzeznik greeted OKC and pointed out that it is the home of The Flaming Lips, claiming that it classifies us as the “coolest fucking city.” He then stated that he is “not worthy to touch the hem” of The Flaming Lips. It was really cool to hear him pay respect to the band from our city.
Goo Goo Dolls Gallery
Robby Takac roamed back and forth across the stage throughout the performance, sharing moments with different band members, sometimes ripping into a guitar solo, and being super interactive with the fans on the barricade via his facial expressions. Their setlist was pretty lengthy, playing lots of songs from many of their albums. They covered Tom Petty’s “You Wreck Me” while the crowd sang along. After a long evening of music, the crowd was on their feet and swaying while the band performed their biggest and most well known song, “Iris.” The Goo Goo Dolls thanked us for spending the evening with them and before too long, the venue emptied but the feeling of hearing our favorite Goo Goo Dolls songs live and in person lingered for days.
Photos by The Pit Magazine photographer Nicole Pollock in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. ©2025.
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