OK, let's get this over with: Yes, Dogstar bassist/"Matrix" star Keanu Reeves was most dudealicious at the Miller Oasis on Wednesday night.

Now on to the important stuff (at least theoretically): the music.

With two full-length albums and an EP under its belt since getting signed in 1996, Dogstar continues to mature as a melodic rock band with a likable garage scruffiness around the edges.

The band's chops are as good as those of any solid local band, but in a live setting, the trio can't escape the long shadow of celebrity cast by its lanky four-stringer. The vast majority of the screaming crowd, most armed with flash cameras, seemed oblivious to the music. When shaggy blond singer-guitarist Bret Domrose and Reeves met at center stage to strike rock star poses, the similarities to the opening scenes of "Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure" were eerie.

Tolerable? Yes. Entertaining? Sure. Excellent? Uh, Keanu, don't quit your day job.

- Gemma Tarlach, Journal Sentinel staff