Fans at Bethlehem’s Wind Creek Event Center buzzed with excitement for Dogstar’s fourth show of their summer North American tour. The band first formed in the early 90s, but went on hiatus when Keanu Reeves’ acting career skyrocketed. They reunited in 2020 and released new music in 2022. The ongoing tour is continuing support for their latest 2023 release, Somewhere Between the Power Lines and Palm Trees, after a hugely successful previous run. While Dogstar previously performed in Philadelphia, this visit was the band’s first to the Lehigh Valley.
Archer Oh took the stage first and set the tone for the evening; they were a great choice to match Dogstar’s energy. The young Californians brought their surf-style indie rock to the east coast with a pleasurable reaction from the crowd. They created a nice balance of mellow vibes and energetic bursts, which set the tone for the evening. Their simple lightshow also set the ambience throughout their 30-minute set. Vocalist Archer Medrano especially stood out in the energetic bursts area, moving around the stage plenty and bouncing back to the microphone with powerful vocals.
Once Dogstar took the stage a bit later, bathed in colorful lights matching the color scheme of their album cover. Wind Creek Event Center erupted with screams of, “I love you, Keanu!” immediately upon the first chord. The show started off more on the mellow side while still exciting the crowd. As the night progressed, though, their energy picked up right into the encore. Whether audience members were standing and dancing or grooving to the music in their seat, no one in the crowd was indifferent about their performance.
Dogstar opened their set with album opener “Blonde” and continued through a mixture of Power Lines and Palm Trees material and new, unrecorded material. The setlist often bounced between familiar album content like “Everything Turns Around” and new track “Out Of.” Other new tracks Dogstar fans could anticipate included “This Is What Math Is For,” “Shards of Rain,” “Runway,” and “Marmalade.” At the end, the band came out for an encore starting with a cover of The Cure’s “Just Like Heaven,” introducing it as a song they love. Following the cover, they played “Upside” and two more new songs.
Dogstar created a blended sense of familiarity and exploration for the crowd to enjoy, and that blend worked well. Audience members loved both the previous and new songs and had fun throughout the show. Dogstar continue their North American tour through the United States and part of Canada until September 21st along with a festival appearance at Ohana Fest September 27th. Check them out when they roll near you!
DOGSTAR with ARCHER OH – AUGUST 17, 2024 – WIND CREEK EVENT CENTER (BETHLEHEM, PA)
