Ross Lynch’s ‘The Driver Era’ mesmerised the crowd at the Eventim Apollo for one night only on their X Girlfriend tour last Wednesday.
The former Disney star’s group was supported by American indie bands ‘Almost Monday’ and ‘Your Favorite Color.’
Ross Lynch always lived in the spotlight and he has built an impressive and charismatic following.
He gained notoriety in Disney’s hit sitcom ‘Austin and Ally,’ while also becoming the lead singer in ‘R5’ with siblings Riker, Rocky, and Rydel Lynch and friend Ellington Ratliff.
R5 morphed into ‘The Driver Era’ in 2018 and consists of just Rocky and Ross Lynch full-time.
The attraction to band was immediately clear.
You attend to get a peek of Ross Lynch with your own eyes.
The venue was dominated by women with childhood crushes and hence were mostly between 17 and 23.
This checks out as his selling point has always been his on-screen charm, boyish good looks, and talented voice.
As he’s grown, he’s seamlessly transitioned from the innocent Disney star into a chiselled jock who plays into his desirableness with suggestive lyrics and onstage antics.
But what makes The Driver Era more than just an entity to massage Ross Lynch’s ego is their ability to put on an amazing show, with high-quality sounds and captivating vocal performances.
The band opened with the unreleased ‘Touch,’ and brand new single ‘You Keep Me Up At Night,’ to the sound of intense screaming.
Despite apologising for playing too much new stuff, it was a nice touch to give an almost full-capacity Apollo exclusive songs like ‘Don’t Walk Away’ and ‘I’ll Be There.’
Ross began the show in a pink shirt, denim jacket, and striking white trousers, much to the disappointment of the crowd.
But the denim jacket was ditched early doors during ‘Rumours,’ and halfway through the show the shirt was gone too.
‘Nobody Knows’ was memorable, with the frontman practically crowd surfing and giving fans the microphone for a fun twist on the chorus.
The unreleased ‘I’ll Be There’ already felt like a household name with the amount of people singing along.
Despite the undertone of lust there were some really wholesome moments that left the arena beaming.
Rocky Lynch, despite looking bored during lots of the show, was a pleasant contrast to his extroverted brother, and his lead vocals during ‘Low’ were an excellent change up in vibe.
During their rendition of ‘Heart of Mine,’ the whole group sang a stripped back piece with just a piano, which felt like both a family moment and proof that they had range in performance.
My favourite moment was during a medley of ‘Malibu,’ which featured covers of Rihanna’s ‘Wild Thoughts,’ and Peter Gabriel’s ‘Sledgehammer,’ to show off some creativity in the setlist.
To top it all off, Ross Lynch got a fan on stage to perform a salsa-style dance, which the pair and crowd enjoyed immensely.
The encore featured the hits ‘Preacher Man,’ ‘On My Own,’ ‘Feel You Now,’ and ‘A Kiss’ to round off the evening.
The band overall had excellent chemistry despite different personalities, and each instrument brought something fresh to the sound.
It was easy to feed off their excitement of playing a big venue.
There was no arrogance on show, and their tributes to the fans came across as heartfelt and genuine.
‘Your Favorite Color’ did a great job warming up, with lead Matt Warren channelling an excitable theatre kid behind indie rock sounds, although some clearer lyrics could have got the crowd more involved.
‘Almost Monday’ are ones to watch in the future as they put on a masterclass on how to be an opener.
They released their new album ‘Dive’ on stage, featuring highlights like ‘You Look So Good,’ ‘Tidal Wave,’ and ‘Can’t Slow Down.’
Dawson Daugherty vocals are straight off a FIFA soundtrack, and his funky sunglasses matched the groovy dancing perfectly.
What ‘The Driver Era’ may lack in truly distinctive sound or chart topping hits, it certainly makes up for with its other unique selling points.
Ross Lynch flaunts his impressive array of muscles and suspiciously large number of abs through a repertoire of suggestive dance moves, providing infinite content for those TikTok edits.
But he does this while hitting some spectacular notes and radiating energy into the whole venue, meaning you don’t have to enjoy what you see to enjoy what you hear.
The show can be summarised by a girl fainting during ‘Malibu’, which Ross confirmed on Instagram was purely down to the pair making eye contact.
The girl was fine, but it speaks to the way fans view him.
For those fans looking to see their newly single crush Ross Lynch perform, these shows give you everything you want and more.
Perhaps a little too much.
