Goo Goo Dolls and O.A.R. Prep for Tour With Tom Petty ‘I Won’t Back Down’ Cover
Tom Petty’s 1989 classic “I Won’t Back Down” will become a staple on the setlist of the Goo Goo Dolls’ forthcoming Big Night Out tour, with special guests O.A.R. joining for the first leg. In anticipation of the stretch of shows, the Goo Goo Dolls and O.A.R. spent a day at Arcade Studios in New York, recording a cover of the record with plans to perform it each night on the road.
“It has been so great working with Johnny and the band on “I Won’t Back Down,” O.A.R.’s Marc Roberge shared in a statement. “Tom Petty’s music has been such an inspiration for us and a meaningful part of our musical journey. We’re looking forward to playing it out on the road for what will be a very special summer of music.”
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Goo Goo Dolls frontman John Rzeznik added: “I’m so excited to finally hit the road this summer with Marc and O.A.R.; it’s going to be an amazing night of music and fun. We decided we wanted to give our audience the best night of their summer, and we are so proud to have teamed up not only for the tour, but to record one of our favorite songs together.”
“I Won’t Back Down” functions as a sort of musical middle ground for the two bands, with the tour positioned to support the Goo Goo Dolls’ latest record, Chaos in Bloom, and O.A.R.’s The Arcade. The Goo Goo Dolls will be joined on the second leg of the tour by Fitz and the Tantrums, so the Petty cover will likely be retired after O.A.R.’s run concludes in September. The tour is currently scheduled to begin on July 24.
“After working on separate albums in the same studio all last year, John and I realized pretty quickly how much fun we’d have on tour together,” Roberge shared when the shows were first announced. “We’re all band guys, love being musicians, and started planning a special night that all our fans would enjoy.”
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