John Wick star Keanu Reeves made a highly anticipated comeback as he reunited with his rock band, Dogstar, at the 2023 BottleRock Napa Valley festival.
The reunion was the first time in over two decades that Reeves publicly played bass with the group.
Before taking the stage, Reeves received some encouragement from his bandmate, Robert Mailhouse.
“He was just super positive. He was like, ‘Listen to the music. Just be present in the song, and it will go from there,'” he told the San Francisco Chronicle.
The reunion of Dogstar was a special moment, considering the band's formation in 1991 when Reeves and Mailhouse met at a supermarket and formed a friendship. Reeves assumed the role of bassist and backup vocalist, while Mailhouse showcased his skills as the drummer and percussionist.
Following the band's initial lineup, Gregg Miller joined Dogstar as the lead guitarist and vocalist a year later. However, Miller's departure in 1995 led to Bret Domrose taking over as the lead vocalist after joining as a guitarist and vocalist in 1994.
Speaking to Billboard, Reeves also admitted he missed the band all these years.
“I missed playing together, I missed writing together, I missed doing shows together. It’s something I’ve always missed,” Reeves told Billboard.
“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.'”