Brothers Ross and Rocky Lynch's latest project, The Driver Era, combines an array of genres and includes listeners from all walks of life. The Driver Era is known for their passionate and energetic live performances. As Ross said in an earlier Odyssey interview, "We give it all...we show up and we leave it there." They certainly left every piece of themselves on stage at The Loft in Atlanta, proving to fans how much they care about the music they make and the messages they send.
Ross, the band's lead singer, is widely known as a former Disney Channel star and as a current cast member of Netflix's Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. While Ross's acting experience and talents are impressive, he, Rocky, and the other three touring members of The Driver Era proved the second they walked on stage that they have more to them than just acting.
Throughout the show, The Driver Era incorporated music of different time periods and genres in combination with their own sound. They kicked off the show with Queen's signature "Ay-Oh" call-and-response before performing their recent high-energy bop, Feel You Now. A few songs later, they performed Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons's 1960s romantic classic, "Can't Take My Eyes Off You." Ross prefaced it by explaining that listening to this song while growing up is what inspired him to be an artist.
Directly following the sentimental cover, The Driver Era flipped the crowd's energy a complete 180. "For this next song, and maybe a few others," Ross said, "We've gotta mosh." At that moment I couldn't tell whether I was still at The Driver Era's concert or if I had transported back in time to a 2000s Warped Tour after-party, circle pits and all. But before the mosh pit could simmer, Ross flipped the crowd back to a calm state with a small, solo acoustic set.
During their unreleased song, "Nobody Knows," a dedicated fan waved a pride flag with The Driver Era's logo spray painted on it. As soon as he saw it, Ross grabbed the flag with intentional and complete certainty, warming the hearts of LGBTQ+ listeners and allies.
"There is nothing more reassuring than seeing the lead singer wave a pride flag around. Seeing Ross grab the flag from my friend with no hesitation made me realize that it doesn't matter who I love. Life is short. There are bigger problems in the world than who I chose to kiss." - @tdekenzie
During this tour, the majority of the songs The Driver Era performed were unreleased. Despite many people not being able to sing along to the lyrics, the sold-out crowd was so loud and passionate that no one could have known. The fact that the energy between The Driver Era and their Atlanta listeners was so strong just proves their God-given talent of connecting with all via music. They mean a lot to listeners, and the listeners mean a lot to The Driver Era.
"Getting to [meet Ross and Rocky] felt surreal after years of imagining what it would be like. They are the sweetest people you could ever meet and the whole concert was a night to remember. They played from their heart and put their all into it." -@Cherrytopnot
