The Driver Era Live at The Fox Theater
I’ve been a fan of Ross Lynch for as long as I can remember but his impact on pop culture post-Disney, his “White Boy of the Month” popularity that rivals Harry Styles’s, the numerous TikToks made about his live performances, has only recently become undeniable. From Austin and Ally to The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina to now playing sold-out shows with his band The Driver Era, I’ve been fascinated to see the different stages of his career and how each step has led him into the stardom he embraces today. I knew there was no better time than now to see his band perform live.
The moment I walked into The Fox Theater in Pomona, California on August 27, 2022, I knew I was in for an evening unlike any other. For one, I’d never attended a completely sold-out show, and during a heatwave, no less. From where I was standing, the venue was not very big but I think we still would’ve been packed inside the same way: practically shoulder-to-shoulder and spilling out into the aisles, with people frequently leaving and coming back with bottles of water to combat the heat. It was also unfortunate that I found myself standing behind a whole row of tall folks, so I had to strategically and carefully view the entire concert between two people’s heads.
And still, despite all that, it wasn’t all that hard to enjoy myself once The Driver Era took the stage. You wouldn’t know that they’ve been on the road for weeks; everyone, from the drummer to the bassist and especially Ross, was full of energy, jumping and shimmying and dancing like this was opening night. I thought of firecrackers, their performances like bursts of fun and playfulness. Even with the stage a little ways away, I could feel the bass–and their energy– shaking through the floor.
During their set, they played the classic Driver Era hits to loud enthusiasm from fans including “Preacher,” “Afterglow,” and “San Francisco,” as well as several of their new singles like “Malibu.” “San Francisco” was a personal favorite of mine since that was the first song of theirs I’d ever heard when I still mourning the original but now-defunct R5 back in 2019. Hearing it live for the first time, singing along with the audience, surprising myself when I knew all the words, felt like a moment out of a movie, especially since the song is so soft and introspective as is.
While The Driver Era is obviously a two-person band, Ross clearly came into his own as the unquestionable, vibrant frontman. Throughout the entire show, he had great onstage charisma, teasing fans, unbuttoning his shirt slowly over several songs, and even grabbing his crotch at several points in the evening.
The real highlight of the entire performance, however, was when he did the annual tradition of completely going shirtless, donning a pink cowboy hat and sunglasses, and performing “Rock With You” by Michael Jackson–a move I’d seen dozens of times on TikTok. But believe me, there was nothing like seeing it happen right in front of me. After minutes of telling him to “take it off,” everyone was cheering and clapping, no doubt as familiar as I was with this part of the concert, as he grabbed a cowboy hat seemingly out of nowhere and began to sing the iconic MJ song. I’m 100% sure a video of it is now up on TikTok somewhere.
But they didn’t just stop at the King of Pop. Following this ruckus-causing performance, the band went into a cover of “Play That Funky Music” by Wild Cherry (what a wild sight it was to see Ross singing “play that funky music, white boy” at the top of his lungs) and later, a mash-up between Drake’s “Hold On, We’re Going Home” and another Driver Era original.
Seeing The Driver Era live was genuinely a fantastic experience, one that finally pushed me to return to the band’s discography and play all their songs on loop once I got home. Hearing both familiar and new songs helped me remember why they’ve since become so popular and beloved, what makes their music so special, and most of all, why being a Ross Lynch fan is just the gift that keeps on giving.