Published: September 29, 2026 · 4:05 AM EDT
The Dogstar bassist surprised fans at San Francisco’s Warfield before Peter Hook dedicated the Joy Division classic to him later in the night
Keanu Reeves turned a Peter Hook & The Light concert in San Francisco into a full-circle fan moment, taking the stage to introduce the former Joy Division and New Order bassist before later rocking out to “Love Will Tear Us Apart.”
The surprise appearance took place September 21 at The Warfield, where Reeves walked onstage ahead of the second portion of Peter Hook & The Light’s performance and introduced the band to the crowd. The actor and musician described Hook’s catalog as music audiences had loved in the past, still love today and would continue to love in the future.
Reeves’ connection to the song made what happened later particularly fitting. The longtime Joy Division fan previously told Stephen Colbert that “Love Will Tear Us Apart” would be the one song he would choose if he could listen to only one track for the rest of his life.
Peter Hook & The Light eventually closed the San Francisco concert with “Love Will Tear Us Apart,” dedicating the song to Reeves. Videos shared from the venue showed Reeves enthusiastically dancing and throwing his arms into the air from a balcony box while the band performed the 1980 Joy Division classic.
Read: Pretty in Pink 40th Anniversary Soundtrack Gets Pink Glitter-Filled Vinyl With OMD, The Psychedelic Furs, New Order and The Smiths
Reeves was not simply visiting San Francisco as a celebrity fan. He has played bass in Dogstar since the band’s early years and was in the city ahead of Dogstar’s September 22 concert at The Fillmore. Drummer Robert Mailhouse later recalled that he and Reeves had spent countless hours playing Joy Division riffs together, making the encounter with Hook particularly meaningful for the bandmates.
Peter Hook & The Light’s current tour revisits music from both Joy Division and New Order, with the San Francisco set also including songs such as “She’s Lost Control,” “Transmission,” “Atmosphere,” “Blue Monday,” “The Perfect Kiss,” “Temptation” and “Ceremony.”
The appearance also comes ahead of another milestone for Hook’s former bands. Joy Division and New Order will be inducted together into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame on November 14, 2026, with Hook among the musicians named for induction.
For Reeves, the night connected two sides of a career that audiences usually see separately: the Hollywood star known for The Matrix and John Wick, and the working bassist whose musical roots include the post-punk records he has been listening to for decades.
Watch Joy Division’s official “Love Will Tear Us Apart” music video below:
Written by Gino Alache – Music Journalist
IMAGE CREDIT: Internet.
