Keanu Reeves performs with Dogstar at BottleRock Napa Valley at the Napa Valley Expo on May 27, 2023. Steve Carlson/STAFF.

NAPA — Alt-rock trio Dogstar, best known as being the band in which Keanu Reeves plays bass, played its first show in more than two decades on Saturday at BottleRock Napa Valley. The band, which includes actor Rob Mailhouse on drums and guitarist-vocalist Bret Domrose, debuted at least one new song from a forthcoming record.

Dogstar drew a massive crowd to the Verizon stage at 3:45 p.m., and it appeared many were curious to see Reeves.

“It’s our first show in a long time,” Domrose said. “A really long time.”

Dogstar performs at BottleRock Napa Valley at the Napa Valley Expo on May 27, 2023.

The three trotted out and first made sure their instruments were in tune before launching into the melancholic “Lust” (most song titles mentioned here are courtesy of Setlist.fm). The next track, “Sunrise,” sped up at the end, adding a layer of complexity to the straightforward alternative and post-grunge sound of Dogstar.

Reeves kicked off the third song, “How the Story Ends,” with a two-note riff before Domrose joined in during the chorus, howling his lyrics and adding piercing post-punk guitar lines. The crowd seemed eager for Keanu Reeves to say something, but he couldn’t—he didn’t have a microphone. Instead, he showed his appreciation for all the attention (which included lines from “John Wick”) by gesticulating his arms and bowing.

Dogstar followed up the mid-tempo “Everything Turns Around” with the fast-paced “Blonde,” on which the band sounded a bit like Echo and the Bunnymen.

Domrose then introduced a new song, possibly called “Glimmer,” as one that was being performed outside of Mailhouse’s garage for the first time. The downtempo heartbreak tune was told from the perspective of someone full of regret. “Does he hold you the way I used to hold you?” Domrose sang.

Dogstar’s 12-song set also included “Flowers.”

“Anyone who’s dug around about 15 years ago, you might recognize this one,” the singer said. “It’s about the beautiful women of the world.” For a love song, “Flowers” had a pretty grunt breakdown toward the end that didn’t exactly sound like romance.

Follow editor Roman Gokhman at Twitter.com/RomiTheWriter.