Friday, March 14, 2025: A date that will go down as the loudest a group of high school girls have screamed in all of history. And honestly, I was screaming along with them.
Ahead of the release of their new album Obsession, The Driver Era played at The Byline Bank Aragon Ballroom. The sibling duo, Ross and Rocky Lynch quickly caught the hearts of young girls everywhere. While Rocky was new to the spotlight, Ross had been on Disney Channel, starring as Austin Moon in the hit TV show Austin & Ally. While the show followed Lynch’s character wanting to become a rock star, Lynch soon lived that fantasy outside the show. Due to this established success, one might think that Ross’s success would overpower his brothers. That was quickly proven false. The two truly shared the stage, neither one upstaging the other.
Opening act Thomas Day kicked off the show with a great performance. His high energy dance-bouncing really got the crowd moving. The multitalented artist performed nine great tracks. With some of his songs going viral on TikTok, the crowd was prepped to scream every single word.
When it was time for The Driver Era to perform, the sound barrier was almost broken, or fractured at the very least. The band opened with “Touch”, starting off strong with a silhouette of the band being displayed on a white sheet. When the sheet came down, the audience all knew what they were getting ourselves into: an hour and a half of non-stop fun. The set mimicked the upcoming album cover with a payphone and streetlight on display.
The band was just as good as the frontmen. Personally, I found the percussionist (Ellington Ratliff) to be the biggest stand out. Whenever he had a solo, he shined. My favorite song that the band performed was “Malibu.” After the show, the band came back out to perform “Rumors”, “Get Off My Phone”, and “A Kiss” as an encore.
Ross and Rocky’s crowd engagement was exceptional. Not only did they interact with the audience to get them on their feet and even higher, they ended up getting into the crowd themselves numerous times. The set ended and the crowd demanded more. And as expected, they delivered. The brothers fed off of the audiences’ thirst for them. Ross started off wearing a t shirt, then a tight undershirt, then no shirt at all, sending the crowd into a frenzy.
This has easily become one of the most fun concerts I’ve attended. The energy from the crowd was off the charts, the talent was insane, and it was just so fun to watch. Growing up watching Ross on the TV, it was crazy seeing him perform right in front of me. Looks like Austin Moon really did make it big.