Dogstar 8.12.26 Union Transfer – Philadelphia, PA

Words & Photos by Keeyahtay Lewis

Dogstar Went “All In” with Philadelphia on Wednesday Night

Wednesday night Dogstar came to Philly, and I stood 2 feet away from one of our most beloved A-list actors. That is not usually a sentence I would write when doing a concert review, but it wasn’t a normal night at Union Transfer. But, we will talk more about this later.

Before Dogstar took the stage, The Backfires got the crowd warmed up. The band is made up of members from Brooklyn and the UK and I think their sound leans into their British rock side, for sure. The members, Alex Gomez, Dylan Spiro, Harry Ruprecht, and Matt Walter, traded vocals back and forth throughout their whole set. I had never heard of them before, but it was clear they had some fans in the building- you could see the crowd nodding their heads and singing along. The band was super tight and the energy was fantastic. A great opener for this tour.

Not long after The Backfires finished, and the lights went down and members of Dogstar took the stage. One by one they walked out of the darkness- guitarist and vocalist Bret Domrose, drummer Robert Mailhouse, and bassist Keanu Reeves. That’s right, Keanu Reeves. I am sure at this point the band is probably tired of every interview and review pointing out that freaking John Wick is on bass, but it also be insane to not mention this. I have literally grown up with him on my screen, never thinking that one day I would be looking at him through my camera lens, but here we are.

Dogstar is not a new band. Legend has it that Reeves met Mailhouse in 1991 bonding over hockey. That eventually led to jam sessions, which led to a bunch of shows, breaking up, getting back together, and the current shows. 35 years in they are touring on a new album and making new fans every where they go. This does not feel like a celebrity driven ego trip at all. Dogstar are a power trio with a straight forward 90s rock sound.

You can tell that Dogstar has been playing together for a long time and you could see the friendship on stage. Ripping through their 20 song set that leaned heavily on the new record, playing All In Now in full, while also playing 6 from their last record, Somewhere Between the Power Lines and Palm Trees and a couple other songs. Domrose’s vocals were strong throughout the night and Mailhouse and Reeves did a fantastic job keeping the rhythm and energy moving forward. They stayed in the pocket and are really great live.

I know a lot of celebrities are out there hocking alcohol or watches and some of them are even touring with bands playing music, but I will say that this felt different to me. Reeves doesn’t stand out, at all. Dressed all in black standing towards the back, he does not want the spot light. He was all smiles playing bass and just enjoying the hundreds of people who came to see him and his band. I am sure there were a lot of people who were there just to see Keanu Reeves live in person, but as a member of Dogstar he looked like he was enjoying his current role: just a guy playing bass on stage with his friends. It was a joy to see.

Coming off an appearance on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon show this week, it feels like the band are enjoying this moment in time and it feels special to be a small part of it. Dogstar are currently on tour through early October. If they are playing near you I think you should just go. You might go to see Johnny Utah in person, but I think you will leave a fan of the music. That is what happened to me, for sure.

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