It's hard to imagine that the Goo Goo Dolls would have been as successful as they were in the late '90s if they'd continued to present themselves as a trio of Replacements wannabes, delivering sloppy punk numbers that hardly hinted at the band's true potential. Luckily enough for Johnny Rzeznik and his band, the Goo Goo Dolls landed themselves a hit with the sad, acoustic ballad “Name,” giving the group a far more radio-friendly identity. Taking the alternative pop-rock acoustics and running, the band released a number of successful tunes, including “Slide,” “Black Balloon” and its biggest song, “Iris,” which spent almost a year on Billboard's airplay charts, including 18 weeks at No. 1. A staple of clean, catchy music from the days of Matchbox Twenty and Soul Asylum, the Goo Goo Dolls are scheduled to play the National on Tuesday, April 20, at 8 p.m. $36-$40.
