Published by Cel Manero from Global One Media Inc.
The group, led by John Rzeznik and Robby Takac, called the experience “an incredible honor.”
The Goo Goo Dolls are celebrating being part of the Buffalo Bills’ farewell to Highmark Stadium.
The Bills closed out their final game at Highmark Stadium with a 35-8 victory over the New York Jets on Sunday, Jan. 4, before advancing to the playoffs and preparing to move to a new venue next season. According to Billboard, the night ended with fireworks and singalongs to hits like The Killers’ “Mr. Brightside” and Louis Armstrong’s “What a Wonderful World”. A highlight reel was set to the Goo Goo Dolls’ “Iris,” which served as the final song played during the team’s 53-year tenure at the stadium.
On Tuesday, Jan. 6, the band shared footage of the moment on Instagram, expressing gratitude to the Buffalo Bills.
The group, featuring John Rzeznik and Robby Takac, wrote in the post, “What an incredible honor to have ‘Iris’ played as the very last song at @highmark_stadium – home to the @buffalobills for 53 seasons !!!!”
Originally released in 1998, “Iris” reached No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100 and has become the band’s signature track, earning diamond certification in the U.S. for over 10 million units sold.
Both Rzeznik and Takac were born in Buffalo and founded the band in 1986. In a 2022 interview with OnMilwaukee, Rzeznik recalled the early days of the group, explaining that Buffalo’s music scene in the early ’80s made it difficult to find venues willing to host original music rather than cover bands.
“The music scene in Buffalo wasn’t right for us in the early ’80s. There were no alt-rock clubs then, so we created our own,” Rzeznik said. “We rented a hall, put up the posters ourselves, anything to create some awareness for the music we wanted to play. That’s risky because you never know if anyone’s going to listen. But we were lucky. People began coming to the shows and the band caught fire.”
According to The New York Times, the Buffalo Bills will relocate “across Abbott Road” to a new, weatherproof stadium next season, with more than $2 billion invested in its construction.
Reflecting on leaving Highmark Stadium, Bills cornerback Tre’Davious White told the outlet, “When you think about the stadium, you can’t think about the present players.”
