Dogstar ALL IN NOW TOUR with Special Guest The Backfires at Great Cedar Showroom

Dogstar ALL IN NOW TOUR with Special Guest The Backfires at Great Cedar Showroom brings Keanu Reeves back to the stage in his other career on Saturday, August 15, when Dogstar arrives at Foxwoods Resort Casino for an 8 p.m. performance. Reeves plays bass alongside guitarist and vocalist Bret Domrose and drummer Robert Mailhouse in the Southern California alternative-rock trio, with New York indie-rock band The Backfires opening the night. (Foxwoods)

Dogstar isn’t a celebrity side project assembled around Reeves. The band dates to the early 1990s, released two albums during its original run, toured internationally and opened shows for artists including David Bowie and Bon Jovi before going dormant after 2000. More than two decades later, Reeves, Domrose and Mailhouse reunited, returned to the studio and released Somewhere Between the Power Lines and Palm Trees in 2023. (Fallsview Casino Resort)

The Foxwoods stop pairs that comeback story with a much younger rock band on its own climb. The Backfires formed between London and New York, released their debut album This Is Not An Exit in 2025 and have since moved from small clubs to festivals and national touring. The Great Cedar Showroom puts both bands into a relatively intimate room: Foxwoods lists the venue at about 1,400 seats, considerably smaller than the resort’s 4,000-seat Premier Theater. (Spotify)

About Dogstar

Dogstar began in Los Angeles in the early 1990s with Reeves on bass and Mailhouse on drums. Bret Domrose eventually became the group’s principal singer, guitarist and songwriter, establishing the trio that continues today.

During its original run, the band found itself routinely labeled grunge, an understandable classification given the decade but one the musicians don’t think completely captured what they were doing. Dogstar’s music has always leaned heavily on melody and storytelling, with Domrose’s songwriting drawing from an older singer-songwriter tradition as much as the louder alternative rock surrounding the band in the ’90s.

The group released Our Little Visionary in 1996 and Happy Ending in 2000 before the members went their separate ways.

Then, after roughly two decades apart, something clicked again.

Reeves, Domrose and Mailhouse began playing together privately, rediscovered the chemistry that had held the band together and started writing. Instead of building a nostalgia tour around their old material, they recorded an entirely new album.

Somewhere Between the Power Lines and Palm Trees

Dogstar’s reunion produced Somewhere Between the Power Lines and Palm Trees in 2023, its first album in 23 years.

The record reflects a band that no longer has much reason to worry about fitting into a particular rock category. Reeves has described its appeal in terms of the variety between songs, with different tones and influences emerging across the album rather than every track chasing the same sound.

That makes the current version of Dogstar more interesting than a simple ’90s revival. Older songs are part of the band’s history, but the reunion has produced a functioning creative band with new material to play.

The ALL IN NOW TOUR continues that second chapter.

Yes, That’s Keanu Reeves on Bass

There’s no avoiding the obvious question for anyone discovering Dogstar through the Foxwoods listing.

Yes. It’s that Keanu Reeves.

But Reeves’ involvement in music isn’t new. He was playing bass with Dogstar while his acting career was exploding in the 1990s, and the band’s original years overlapped with films including Speed and The Matrix.

Within Dogstar, however, Reeves doesn’t front the group or turn the concert into a showcase built around his movie career. He’s the bassist. Domrose handles lead vocals and guitar, Mailhouse plays drums, and the three operate as a conventional rock trio.

That dynamic has remained intact since the reunion.

Special Guest The Backfires

Opening the Foxwoods show is The Backfires, a transatlantic rock band whose story began in London in 2018.

Singer and guitarist Alex Gomez moved from New York to London to study and met guitarist Harry Ruprecht and drummer Max Wanduragala there. Gomez’s childhood friend Matt Walter joined on bass, and the musicians began developing a band split between two countries just before the pandemic made that arrangement considerably more complicated. (47Magazine & Media)

By early 2022, The Backfires had relocated to New York and began concentrating on building their live show. A sold-out Mercury Lounge debut was followed by touring with acts including Silversun Pickups, Courteeners and The Mysterines. (Spotify)

The band released its debut full-length album, This Is Not An Exit, in January 2025 and followed it with a 29-date North American headline tour. The Backfires also moved onto festival stages, including Governors Ball. (Spotify)

Their music falls into guitar-driven indie and alternative rock, with British influences particularly apparent. Songs including “Blindsided,” “Joyride,” “Brighter Lights” and “Super 8” offer a good starting point before the Foxwoods show. (Apple Music – Web Player)

Two Generations of Alternative Rock

The pairing makes sense.

Dogstar came together during the alternative-rock explosion of the 1990s but often found itself slightly outside the sound of the decade. The Backfires formed more than 25 years later with influences drawn partly from the British guitar bands that followed that era.

Both ultimately center their music on guitars, melody and songs rather than elaborate production.

The Backfires aren’t making a one-off appearance at Foxwoods, either. They’re accompanying Dogstar on multiple dates of the ALL IN NOW TOUR, including stops in Washington, Atlantic City, Mashantucket, Boston, Hershey and cities across the country. (www.livenation.my)

About the Great Cedar Showroom

The Great Cedar Showroom offers a substantially different concert experience from Foxwoods’ larger Premier Theater.

Foxwoods lists the Great Cedar as an approximately 1,400-seat venue, compared with 4,000 seats at the Premier Theater. That makes it one of the resort’s more intimate rooms for nationally touring musicians and comedians. (Foxwoods)

The Showroom sits within the Great Cedar section of the resort, near the Great Cedar Casino and hotel. Foxwoods’ current property map places it close to the Grand Pequot area as well. (Foxwoods)

For this performance, Foxwoods recommends parking at the Grand Pequot Tower.

Before the Show

Guests looking to make dinner part of the evening have numerous options throughout Foxwoods.

One of the closest is Cedars Steaks & Oysters, located on the Great Cedar Concourse just steps from the Great Cedar Hotel elevators and near the Showroom. Reservations are recommended, particularly on event nights. (Foxwoods)

Allow some extra time between dinner and the concert for security and finding your seats.

Event Details

Date
Saturday, August 15, 2026

Time
8:00 p.m.

Headliner
Dogstar

Special Guest
The Backfires

Tour
ALL IN NOW TOUR

Location
Great Cedar Showroom at Foxwoods Resort Casino

Address
39 Norwich Westerly Road
Mashantucket, CT 06338

Venue Size
Approximately 1,400 seats.

Best Parking
Grand Pequot Tower.

Bags and Purses
Shopping bags and backpacks are not permitted. All bags are subject to search.

Important Notes
Dogstar features Bret Domrose on guitar and vocals, Robert Mailhouse on drums and Keanu Reeves on bass. The Backfires are appearing as special guest.

More Information

For more information, visit the event website using the Event Website link below.

For ticket purchases, click on the Ticketing link below.