Keanu Reeves is widely appreciated for his kindness, work ethic, and generosity. His off-screen actions, philanthropy, passion for motorcycles, and love for literature, reveal him as a multifaceted individual with a deep connection to life and art. Despite personal challenges and achievements, Reeves demonstrates resilience, empathy, and a strong dedication to his career.
Keanu Reeves
That is the reason why everyone appreciates Reeves, as it’s impossible to hate such a person. But a person like him, with 0% hate, was once the target of the audience’s slang and outburst because of his performance. Still, he continued performing and kept encouraging his bandmates with a big grin.

Keanu Reeves Once Had to Go Through Abusive Outburst of Fans

Dogstar’s bassist, Keanu Reeves
Indeed, before becoming an action hero, Keanu Reeves was a bass player in a folk music band. A notable incident from the ’90s involves his band performing alongside other bands at the Metalfest in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The live audience wanted to listen to hard rock and Satan rock music. Unfortunately, the genres weren’t the expertise of Keanu Reeves’s group.

While sharing the story with GQ, Keanu Reeves said:
“We were in Milwaukee playing at the Metalfest. There were some incredible bands — it was a mixture of hard rock, and Satan rock, perhaps. But we’re a folk band. We should not have been there.”
So, when Dogstar started their performance, the listeners were not happy for obvious reasons. The John Wick actor continued:
“They threw beer at us and told us to fck off and [yelled], ‘You suck!’ It was beautiful. It made me laugh. I said to the guitarist, ‘Let’s do one of our Grateful Dead covers!’ It was a glorious moment. Them going: ‘Fck you! You suck!’ Us going [sings in country twang], ‘Ah was born in the desert/doo-doo-doo…”
Looks like Reeves just enjoyed the moment and continued what he was doing with a big smile. This is what sets him apart.

Why Did Keanu Reeves Leave Dogstar, Then?

Dogstar Band
After some stage performances and a few made-for-TV movies, Keanu Reeves landed a supporting role in the hockey film Youngblood (1986), filmed in Canada. Following the film’s production, Reeves headed to Hollywood. His career significantly turned when he portrayed computer hacker Neo in The Matrix (1999). However, before this, he was part of Dogstar.

The group was formed in 1994 with Reeves on bass, Bret Domrose as the guitarist-vocalist, and Rob Mailhouse as the drummer. They released the album Happy Endings in 2000, but eventually, the group disbanded in 2002. So, as it is said, Reeves didn’t leave the group.

Recently, 30 years later, Dogstar returned for the first time publicly at the 2023 BottleRock Napa Valley festival.