Keanu Reeves rocks NOS Alive with Dogstar’s Portuguese debut

Keanu Reeves proved he’s as comfortable on stage as he is on the silver screen when he performed with his rock band Dogstar at NOS Alive in Algés on Thursday night, marking the group’s first concert in Portugal.

Best known for starring in blockbuster films including The Matrix, John Wick and Speed, Reeves took to the festival’s Heineken Stage not as an actor but as Dogstar’s bassist, performing to hundreds of fans gathered for the band’s long-awaited Portuguese debut.

According to Portuguese lifestyle publication NiT, the concert centred on the band’s latest album, “All In Now“, released earlier this year. The set also featured fan favourites such as Everything Turns Around, celebrating Dogstar’s return to touring following a lengthy hiatus.

Dogstar was formed in 1991, after Reeves struck up a conversation with drummer Robert Mailhouse in a supermarket over a Detroit Red Wings hockey shirt. What began as informal jam sessions evolved into a band, later joined by guitarist and vocalist Bret Domrose, which went on to release the albums Our Little Visionary and Happy Ending.

During the 1990s and early 2000s, Dogstar toured with major acts including Bon Jovi, David Bowie and Weezer before entering a hiatus in 2002.

The trio reunited nearly two decades later after reconnecting during the filming of The Matrix Resurrections. Reeves told Entertainment Weekly in 2023 that the reunion happened naturally.

“We started playing and it felt good,” he said. “Then it became, ‘Should we write some songs?’ Then, ‘Should we record them?’ And finally, ‘Should we play live?'”

The reunion produced the 2023 album Somewhere Between the Power Lines and Palm Trees, followed this year by All In Now, with the band now touring festivals and venues across Europe.

Although music remains an important creative outlet, Reeves has made clear that acting will continue to be his primary profession, recently telling Guitar World that music offers him “a completely different creative space.”

Reeves is no stranger to Portugal. The actor has visited the country on several occasions, particularly the Algarve, where he has holidayed in recent years. In 2024, The Resident reported on his stay in the region, further cementing his reputation as one of Hollywood’s regular celebrity visitors.

Source: NiT

Inês Lopes

Newspaper editor at The Portugal Resident