Keanu Reeves reunites with his band for first public performance in over 20 years

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By James Kay

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It has been over two decades since Keanu Reeves last played publicly with his band Dogstar, but the wait has finally ended.

Who doesn't love seeing Keanu Reeves out in public? Hollywood's nicest man is always a welcome sight and this time is no different.

Reeves, 58, is the bass player in the alternative rock band Dogstar, which was formed in 1991. The band eventually called it quits in 2002 before announcing their return this year.

Reeves formed the band with Robert Mailhouse and Gregg Miller, though the latter left in 1995 and was replaced by Bret Domrose.

The band announced their return on Instagram with a behind-the-scenes photo while writing: "Last set up on the roof in Lincoln Heights for @dogstarband photo shoot. Exciting news coming soon. Thanks for being so patient."

Fans of the band didn't have to wait long, as Reeves and his bandmates took to the stage at the 2023 BottleRock Napa Valley festival.

It seems that even Hollywood A-listers aren't immune from feeling the pressure of a live performance, as Mailhouse gave Reeves some words of encouragement before heading up on stage.

"He was just super positive," Reeves told the San Francisco Chronicle. "He was like, listen to the music. Just be present in the song, and it will go from there."

Fans chanted "We love John Wick" every time Reeves' face appeared on the big screen, and considering they haven't performed live in 23 years, it was a huge success.

The band played a number of tunes from their previous albums, as well as giving fans a taste of what's to come as they played songs from their unreleased upcoming album.

When questioned on why the band vanished for so long, Domrose told the Chronicle: "It just organically happened. There was never a big blowout, like, 'I’m never talking to you again!' We took a break and it was a really long break."

Check out Dogstar's performance below:

Clearly, Reeves missed his bandmates during that time, despite them occasionally getting together for the odd jam session.

He spoke to Billboard about how he felt about the band: "I missed playing together, I missed writing together, I missed doing shows together. It’s something I’ve always missed. We came to a spot where we weren’t playing anymore, and I missed it… Once we started to play, and it felt good, and really positive and creative, that’s when it was like, okay, let’s make this happen."

The band is now working towards a tour so people up and down the country will be able to get a glimpse of Reeves and his bandmates in action.

Discussing upcoming shows, Reeves told the Chronicle: "Today was like our first kind of foray out. The band wants to play. We have a record, so we’re just kind of trying to figure out the best way to marry those two things."

If there is ever an opportunity to see Reeves in the flesh as well as listen to some great music - sign me up!

We can't wait to see what Dogstar does next.

Featured image credit: David Davies / Alamy

Keanu Reeves reunites with his band for first public performance in over 20 years

vt-author-image

By James Kay

Article saved!Article saved!

It has been over two decades since Keanu Reeves last played publicly with his band Dogstar, but the wait has finally ended.

Who doesn't love seeing Keanu Reeves out in public? Hollywood's nicest man is always a welcome sight and this time is no different.

Reeves, 58, is the bass player in the alternative rock band Dogstar, which was formed in 1991. The band eventually called it quits in 2002 before announcing their return this year.

Reeves formed the band with Robert Mailhouse and Gregg Miller, though the latter left in 1995 and was replaced by Bret Domrose.

The band announced their return on Instagram with a behind-the-scenes photo while writing: "Last set up on the roof in Lincoln Heights for @dogstarband photo shoot. Exciting news coming soon. Thanks for being so patient."

Fans of the band didn't have to wait long, as Reeves and his bandmates took to the stage at the 2023 BottleRock Napa Valley festival.

It seems that even Hollywood A-listers aren't immune from feeling the pressure of a live performance, as Mailhouse gave Reeves some words of encouragement before heading up on stage.

"He was just super positive," Reeves told the San Francisco Chronicle. "He was like, listen to the music. Just be present in the song, and it will go from there."

Fans chanted "We love John Wick" every time Reeves' face appeared on the big screen, and considering they haven't performed live in 23 years, it was a huge success.

The band played a number of tunes from their previous albums, as well as giving fans a taste of what's to come as they played songs from their unreleased upcoming album.

When questioned on why the band vanished for so long, Domrose told the Chronicle: "It just organically happened. There was never a big blowout, like, 'I’m never talking to you again!' We took a break and it was a really long break."

Check out Dogstar's performance below:

Clearly, Reeves missed his bandmates during that time, despite them occasionally getting together for the odd jam session.

He spoke to Billboard about how he felt about the band: "I missed playing together, I missed writing together, I missed doing shows together. It’s something I’ve always missed. We came to a spot where we weren’t playing anymore, and I missed it… Once we started to play, and it felt good, and really positive and creative, that’s when it was like, okay, let’s make this happen."

The band is now working towards a tour so people up and down the country will be able to get a glimpse of Reeves and his bandmates in action.

Discussing upcoming shows, Reeves told the Chronicle: "Today was like our first kind of foray out. The band wants to play. We have a record, so we’re just kind of trying to figure out the best way to marry those two things."

If there is ever an opportunity to see Reeves in the flesh as well as listen to some great music - sign me up!

We can't wait to see what Dogstar does next.

Featured image credit: David Davies / Alamy