Keanu Reeves returns to perform with his band Dogstar after more than two decades of absence
On Saturday, Keanu Reeves returned to the stage with his alternative rock band at the BottleRock festival in Napa Valley, something he hadn’t done for more than 20 years. The 58-year-old actor confessed to the San Francisco Chronicle that he was a little nervous about performing in front of a live audience, but was reassured by his bandmate Robert Mailhouse: «He was very positive. He told me, ‘Listen to the music. Just be present in the song, and everything will be fine.'»
They played songs from their two previous albums and the new one
And so it was. The band, which also features Bret Domrose, played songs from their two previous albums (1996’s Our Little Visionary and 2000’s Happy Ending), as well as new tracks from their upcoming third album, such as «Glimmer» and «Flowers.»
They announced their return last summer
Dogstar formed in the mid-1990s in Los Angeles and announced its triumphant return last summer. Reeves, bassist and backing vocalist, told Billboard this week that he missed playing with his friends, with whom he reconnected at the start of the pandemic for jam sessions. «I missed playing together, I missed writing together, I missed doing gigs together. It’s something I’ve always missed. Once we started jamming, and it felt good, and very positive and creative, that’s when we said, ‘Okay, let’s make this happen,'» Reeves said.
New album
In the first two and a half months of 2020, Reeves and company wrote enough songs for the new album (title and release date still to be determined). The actor was already a rising star before the group broke up in the early 2000s, starring in the Bill & Ted, Speed, Dracula and Matrix movies. Now, he’s thrilled to be able to return to his alternative rock roots. «It’s a space I love and a space I’ve tried to protect,» he said.
A great moment for Reeves in the movies
Reeves recently starred in John Wick 4, and Lionsgate confirmed this week that a fifth installment of the action film was in development with Reeves as the titular assassin. A box office hit, director Chad Stahelski’s fourth installment has grossed more than $420 million worldwide since its theatrical release in March.
