After a long time off, I finally went to my first post-lockdown concert, and it was a pretty good one. The band of brothers, Ross and Rocky Lynch, took the stage at Royal Oak on Nov. 19 with the rest of their siblings as the touring band. 

 I know my sister and I were both excited to see Ross Lynch, an icon from our childhood, up close and personal. Ross Lynch is most known for his roles as Austin Moon in Austin & Ally and as Brady from my favorite Disney Channel Original Teen Beach Movie. Yeah, I said it, Teen Beach Movie is better than High School Musical. This seemed to be a common thought amongst others too, as the entire crowd sang the Austin and Ally theme song in anticipation of the concert. I also spotted a group of girls sporting some pretty great T-shirts.

The Driver Era had two opening acts, my personal favorite being the first of the night, Moontower. To be blatantly honest I have a bad habit of not doing my research before concerts, so I had no idea who they were. I am glad to say I learned who they were though.

Moontower kicked off the show with their high energy electro-pop sound. It was impossible not to dance as the Los Angeles natives gave their all. I would say the highlight of their performance was the song “Lay With Me.” I found myself singing along as the bass shook the floor and the three piece band nailed their first performance in the mitten. It makes sense why other artists like Night Riots, YUNGBLUD, COIN, Bad Suns and The Cold War Kids would select them as openers. My sister and I even had the pleasure of meeting the trio after buying some of their incredibly cool merch.

Rounding out the openers was The Wrecks. This group has cited the Pixies, The Strokes, Weezer, and Vampire Weekend as influences in the past, and it definitely was evident in their performance. The crowd was very connected to The Wrecks’ energy, so much so that the lead singer commented that he seemed concerned about how much the crowd seemed to relate to “Fvck Somebody” — which seemed like a relatively unconventional breakup track. The Wrecks proved to be very experienced performers, and the lead singer made sure to show off his impressive vocal range. My favorite song of the night was the angsty “James Dean.” 

After the opening performances hyped up the crowd, The Driver Era finally took the stage. Now as someone who is only 5’3” a standing venue brings me some pretty rough visibility problems. Luckily for me the duo gave an incredibly dynamic performance and constantly moved to various spots of the stage so everyone could get a piece of the show.

The Driver Era proved to be worth the wait. Frontman and former Disney star Ross Lynch was an exceptional performer for sure. His dancing commanded the eyes of everyone in the room. As my 16-year-old sister put it, “He knows he is attractive and that is the problem.” The crowd screamed as he progressively took layers of clothing off during the performance — I am still impressed that he managed to wear a jean jacket, pink dress shirt, and white tank top for more than a single song without keeling over in the heat of the Royal Oak Music Theater that night. He used his charisma to his advantage in the alluring performances of “When You Need a Man” and “Leave Me Feeling Confident,” my favorite Driver Era track.

Rocky Lynch also put on a great performance. He often took the lead on vocals and stole the attention of the crowd. My personal favorite moment from his was the song “Low,” a track that Rocky Lynch wrote and produced for the band on his own. I admired his delivery of the laid back track that had the crowd bouncing along.

There was less banter from the band than in concerts I am used to. I usually love to hear some personal anecdotes from artists as they progress through tracks, but The Driver Era tended to blend from one song to the next. Ross Lynch did yell “Go Blue!” after their introductory song, which hurt me a little inside. I was also rather sad that we never got to hear their cover of “Sex on Fire” by Kings of Leon. Nevertheless, the performance was incredible.

The night ended with an incredibly upbeat encore featuring “A Kiss.” I think I almost passed out as I jumped around and screamed the lyrics with the equally enthusiastic girls standing next to me. Afterwards the band took a grand bow at the front of the stage, had a mini dance party and took the time to wave goodbye and pick up the different gifts thrown onstage.

Overall, it is safe to say that it was a performance worthy of that “first concert post-hermit life” title. The energy was fantastic, the music hit all of my marks, and I was captivated by the moves of my childhood hero. And I think most other attendees were too.