This past Saturday marked the return of Dogstar to the performance stage after a 23-year hiatus. The indie-rock trio, with Bret Domrose on lead vocals and guitar, Robert Mailhouse on the drums, and Hollywood actor Keanu Reeves on bass, chose the BottleRock music festival in Napa, California for their long-awaited performance.
Undeterred by the hot afternoon sun, fans eagerly gathered to witness the band's historic comeback.
When the "Bill & Ted" actor finally did take the stage, he could do no wrong. Every song break was punctuated with a "We love you, Keanu!" from an audience member. If he so much as looked up from his bass, the screams started anew.
Reeves played the role of stoic bassist, barely speaking during Dogstar's one-hour set, ceding the mic to lead singer Bret Domrose, a small-time actor and composer. Dogstar's drummer, Robert Mailhouse, is also an actor, with roles on shows like "Seinfeld" and "NCIS."
"Thanks for coming over to the Verizon Stage. We were hoping we wouldn't see a lot of grass. This is awesome," Domrose said about halfway through the performance.
Dogstar initially teased its reunion last July with an Instagram post that declared, "We're back." Now the band is finalizing details for a headlining tour, which Domrose said should bring it to the Bay Area later this summer, and the eventual album release.
