One star not slowing down amid the actors strike is Keanu Reeves, who on Tuesday night returned to his rockstar side gig as bassist for band Dogstar.
The group, comprised of Reeves, guitarist/vocalist Bret Domrose and drummer Rob Mailhouse, was active between the mid ’90s to early 2000s, before taking a pause in 2002; they reunited for a show at BottleRock Napa Valley music festival in May, and on Tuesday played their first headlining concert in more than 20 years at The Roxy in Los Angeles.
The show also served as the launching point for new single “Everything Turns Around,” out Wednesday, and announcement of new album Somewhere Between the Power Lines and Palm Trees, set to be released Oct. 6. Dogstar is also planning a 25-date headlining tour in North America and Japan in support of the album.
The Los Angeles show featured opening act Archer Oh, after which the trio took the stage to screams from a packed crowd. Reeves rocked out during the hour-long performance and kept things playful between songs as the audience screamed for his attention, waving, dancing and joking around with fans.
“We’re beyond excited about this, it’s been a minute since we put anything out,” Domrose said before playing the band’s new single. After running through their catalog, the singer thanked the crowd for “making our first show in L.A. amazing” as Reeves dodged gifts that were thrown his way on stage.
The group then returned for a three-song encore — which included brand-new songs off of the upcoming album — as the star patted his chest in appreciation and flashed a “rock on” sign. At the end of the show, Mailhouse jokingly threw his drumstick at Reeves’ head and after tossing his guitar pick into the crowd, Reeves gave high fives to fans in the front row and yelled a “thank you very much” into the mic.
Dogstar kicks off its tour on Aug. 10 in Hermosa Beach, with later dates at the Troubadour, Music Hall of Williamsburg and Boston’s Paradise Rock Club.
