He walked onto the stage to the strains of The Goo Goo Dolls promising "Better Days".

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Or at least, they would have been, had the Goo Goo Dolls not changed their name two decades ago.

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Inside the clubs, Van Morrison, The Goo Goo Dolls and James Brown are among the performers booked for New Year's Eve shows.

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Under his counsel, John Rzeznik, the singer for the Goo Goo Dolls, overcame a bad bout of writer's block during the making of the band's second album.

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Over at the Harman Center for the Arts, meanwhile, there was a hipper vibe, with a big bash thrown by the Creative Coalition, an arts advocacy organization, featuring a full concert by the rock band the Goo Goo Dolls.

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On Monday, the Creative Coalition was putting on a ball with a performance by the Goo Goo Dolls, while the Young and Powerful Black Tie Ball and the Congressional Black Caucus Inaugural Ball were also taking place in the city.

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