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On July 10th, 2025…

Rocky and Ross Lynch, known together as The Driver Era, brought their Obsession Tour to Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre.

RECAP: THE DRIVER ERA SET VANCOUVER ABLAZE WITH OBSESSION TOUR STOP

There’s something effortlessly magnetic about Ross and Rocky Lynch, and that charisma was on full display as The Driver Era took over Vancouver’s Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre on July 10. With their Obsession Tour in full swing—already spanning continents and racking up stops across North America—the brothers brought a performance that felt more like a fever dream than a traditional concert.

Opening the night was Colombian pop riser VALÉ, who wasted no time transforming the venue into a dance floor. Backed by a tight live band decked out in coordinated football kits, she delivered a fiery set blending Latin-pop, R&B, and alt-rock. Even those unfamiliar with her music found themselves shouting the hooks and moving with the rhythm. She owned the stage with confidence and warmth, leading crowd chants in Spanish and making Vancouver feel like home turf.

By the time The Driver Era stepped in, the crowd was buzzing. The stage was styled like a surreal film set—complete with a park bench, retro payphone, and a massive LED backdrop that shifted from VHS-glitch to kaleidoscopic color fields. The intro was pure drama: silhouettes behind a curtain, the slow burn of “Touch” rising in the background, and then—boom—the drop, the curtain, the chaos.

Ross, wearing a crocheted pullover (which didn’t stay on for long), had the audience wrapped around his finger from the first note. By the time the encore rolled around, he was completely shirtless, sending the crowd—predominantly young women—into a screaming frenzy. He played the part of heartthrob, frontman, and lovable troublemaker with equal flair. Rocky, calm and collected beside him, anchored the sound with precision. Together, they moved through the set with a fluidity that made it clear they’re not just performing songs—they’re building moments.

Naturally, the set leaned heavily into Obsession tracks—“The Weekend,” “OMG Plz Don’t Come Around,” “Fantasy,” and “Back to You” landed with the kind of emotional weight usually reserved for decade-old hits. The crowd knew every word. The band, clearly feeding off the energy, stretched songs out with jam sections and extended outros, making each performance feel unique to the night.

Still, the Lynch brothers know how to throw it back. A surprise mid-set rendition of Teen Beach Movie’s “Cruisin’ for a Bruisin’” sent the room into a nostalgic frenzy—fans who grew up watching Ross on Disney Channel sang like their childhoods depended on it. It was chaotic, joyful, and perfectly self-aware.

The visuals throughout were top-tier, too. The LED screen didn’t just serve as background; it pulsed with every beat, echoing the emotional undercurrents of each song. Glitch art, vintage camcorder footage, neon dreamscapes—it all came together like a late-night Tumblr scroll come to life. A handheld camera projected raw, behind-the-scenes-style shots of the band onto the big screen, adding intimacy to the spectacle.

Toward the end, the set slowed just enough to let “San Francisco” and “Heaven Angel” breathe, only to ramp up again for a cathartic encore. “Rumors,” “Get Off My Phone,” and “A Kiss” closed out the night with a kiss cam on the LED screen, glittering visuals, and Ross in a pink cowboy hat dotted with hearts—fully embracing the ridiculous, romantic chaos that defines their shows.

And of course, it wasn’t just another tour stop for Ross. Having filmed Chilling Adventures of Sabrina in Vancouver and written songs here, the city holds a personal weight. That affection was felt in the performance—and reflected right back at him by the crowd.

If there’s one thing The Driver Era proved with this show, it’s that they’re not just riding on past fame. They’ve built a live experience that’s part concert, part fever dream, part group therapy. Vancouver came to sing—and left obsessed.