Last Saturday, brothers Ross and Rocky Lynch, known formally as The Driver Era, were able to completely sell out the Egyptian Room at the Old National Center, which has a capacity of 2,000 people. This night was absolutely dedicated to healing my inner child, as I am sure it was for many of the other young adults in the packed venue who grew up watching the Disney Channel. I have seen so many videos of Ross performing live, and I was overjoyed that I was going to be able to experience it for myself.
VALÉ
VALÉ is a Columbian vocalist and songwriter who was drawn to music at a very early age, having been performing since she was 6 years old. Once she entered her teenage years, she began to draw inspiration for original music from American pop as well as R&B. Her second single, “oop”, which features Kat Dahlia, has accumulated a whopping 1.7 million streams since its release in 2021.
Immediately, I was obsessed with the vibes that Vale’s touring band gave off whenever they came out in matching black suits and sunglasses, which perfectly counteracted what she herself wore. Playing more well known tracks, such as “moody, dirty, sweaty” and “lo tengo mal”, alongside some deep cuts like “bololo", I was incredibly impressed by both her stage presence and vocal talent, and actually recommended her to a friend almost directly after her set!
THE DRIVER ERA
Ross Lynch is a well-known figure to those born in the early 2000s, and if you grew up watching Disney, you were undoubtedly familiar with the band R5. The family band, which included Ross and Rocky from The Driver Era along with their siblings, was founded in Los Angeles in 2009. In March 2018, after nearly a decade of performances and five studio releases, R5’s Instagram was wiped clean, and the username was changed to The Driver Era. Rocky Lynch, his brother, and Ross himself would be in the new band, according to a later update on his account. They then released their debut single, "Preacher Man," which became extremely popular very fast and has now received over 32 million Spotify plays.
"OMG Plz Don't Come Around," the first song off the 2021 album Girlfriend, made me even more infatuated with this band than I previously was. There were countless jubilant supporters crammed into the barricade, screaming along to every word at full volume. This show introduced me to their song "Feel You Now," which I have listened to an absurd number of times since. The performance by Ross and Rocky exceeded all of my expectations, and I hope to experience the same level of exhilaration at every event I attend going forward.
There are 12 dates remaining on the US East coast tour, and if you are able to attend one of them, I highly, highly suggest that you do so!
