Dogstar @ OLG Stage, Niagara Falls, Ontario 8-21-26

Alternative rock band Dogstar graced the stage at OLG this past Friday night. The trio is comprised of Bret Domrose on guitar and lead vocals, Robert Mailhouse on drums, and Keanu Reeves on bass. The band originally formed in the early 1990’s and were active until 2022. It was surprise to see that they reformed in 2020 and been very active since their reformation. They released two albums including their latest effort ‘All in Now’ on May 29, 2026. The All In Now tour started in Europe which spanned over June and July. They are now in the midst of doing a 23 city North American run.

The band started off with “Siren,” off of their latest effort. The 20 song set was heavily dosed with tracks off of “All in Now.” They ended up playing every song from that disc. They mixed in about half a dozen tracks from their 2023 record, ‘Somewhere Between Palm Tress and Power Lines’ album. They played only one cover in the Replacements “Can’t Hardly Wait.” What is becoming a fan favorite, is the song they haven’t recorded but performed live over the last few years in “Marmalade.” This was no frills show as the band didn’t have any dazzling lights or any stage props. They didn’t even really talk in between songs as the 20 song set went quick (about an hour and 15 minutes). Even though, the set flowed smoothly, to me, there was no songs that really gave the crowd energy. Reeves and Domrose only came together in front of Mailhouse’s kit once during the entire show. That was during “How the Story Ends.” There was no real intensity that was built up as the band just played their songs. Yes, they were solid in doing so but no kinetic energy was given and taketh.

This was my first time taking in Dogstar. I heard mixed reviews coming into the show. Personally, I wanted to see and make my own judgments. In speaking to people after the show, the same sentiment was still there from the various people I spoke to. I think Dogstar needs to work on their stage presence and how they deliver their songs in a live setting. Again, if they are able to energize the crowd, it can make for an unbelievable connection that everyone can benefit from.

Setlist:

Siren

Lust

How the Story Ends

Everything Turns Around

Joy

Wing

This Sphere

Can’t Hardly Wait (The Replacements cover)

Gimmer

Math

The Whisper