Templeton-Blackburn Memorial Auditorium was packed with fans in nearly every seat. The venue was practically vibrating with the noise of the music and the energy of the crowd and performers alike. The Driver Era’s concert on Nov. 10 was nothing short of electric and brought unmatched energy to Ohio University.
The show opened with an indie pop group almost monday. The group got the crowd hyped up with an array of songs like their beachy new song “coast to coast” and their summer-like hit “sunburn.” They also brought out The Romantics’ '80s hit, “What I Like About You,” finishing with a harmonica solo.
It was clear that the group was having an absolute blast up there, and their thoroughly energized stage presence made that all the clearer. Plus, the band had sufficiently warmed up the crowd for the main event.
Then, after a brief intermission, came the stars of the show. From the start, Ross and Rocky Lynch made it clear that they were here for a good time. After all, they came out in OU hockey jerseys, starting the show with a resounding “Go Bobcats!”
All of this led to them jumping right into an exhilarating performance of their song “Feel You Now,” complete with lighting effects to get the crowd properly amped. This immediately segued into a performance of their raunchy hit, “Natural.”
Throughout the show, they played a variety of their songs, ranging from a piano and acoustic guitar-driven rendition of their soulful “San Francisco” to an energized performance of their popular “Preacher Man.” Some of the best performances included “Afterglow,” where references to Cabo were changed to Ohio in honor of the venue, and “Heart of Mine.”
They also played their newest song “Rumors,” released just a few weeks before the concert. The brothers announced that it would be their first time playing the song live, which sent the crowd into a frenzy.
However, the duo also played a few songs from outside their discography. Ross Lynch paid tribute to his Disney Channel days and performed “On My Own” from “Teen Beach 2.” The brothers also played brief snippets of ACDC’s “Back In Black” and Ginuwine’s “Pony,” at which point Ross Lynch gave into the crowd’s pleas to take off his shirt, spending the latter part of the show sporting no shirt and a fan’s hot pink cowboy hat.
The Driver Era’s stage presence was unmatched throughout the night. It was energetic and sexually charged, thanks to Rocky Lynch’s energetic guitar performance and Ross Lynch’s lively singing and dancing. The two Lynch brothers wholeheartedly embraced their image as members of a rockstar family, even bringing out their third brother, Riker Lynch, who kept the crowd entertained with his fun dance moves, especially during their 2022 beachy hit song “Malibu.”
It was clear throughout the show that they were there to have some fun, as they spent large portions of the show messing around with each other and the fans. Ross Lynch played the “Twilight” theme on the stage’s keyboard, which managed to get a laugh out of his brothers and the audience.
The brothers brought out a birthday cake to celebrate Riker Lynch and Rocky Lynch’s birthdays, which had happened two days and a week prior, respectively. Red solo cups were passed around, with the duo drinking throughout the whole show. Ross Lynch even breakdanced briefly. Rocky Lynch and Ross Lynch spent the majority of the show bantering back and forth.
The superstar siblings were enjoying every second they were on stage, and this made the show all the more enjoyable for their adoring fans.
Their crowd interaction was great as well. As mentioned earlier, Ross Lynch sported a fan’s hot pink cowboy hat, which had been thrown on stage, and made a few lighthearted comments about how this has happened at most of their shows.
Furthermore, the brothers spent large portions of the show hyping each other up, with Ross Lynch at one point asking the crowd to chant his older brother’s name and give him his credit, which the massive crowd happily obliged.
They also used a large amount of crowd control, getting the audience to jump, sing and dance along to their songs. Although the show was only around an hour and a half, they made the absolute most of it and kept the crowd excited, reeled in and on their feet the whole time.
The brothers did not just have magnetic stage presence, they sounded great too. Their studio performances translated extremely well to their live performance, which is something that many artists struggle with. If anything, The Driver Era sounded better with the added energy and harsher rock sound that many concert settings can often bring.
Overall, The Driver Era gave a fantastic performance and left fans both ecstatic and eager to see what comes next from the Lynch brothers.
