The Record Company rocks surprise Miller show

Grammy-nominated trio The Record Company was the surprise act at Miller Brewing’s second annual “Cheers to Milwaukee” concert Friday night.

The blues-rock band put on a blistering set — no surprise there.

For Miller’s free Riverside Theater concert, a “thank you” to its hometown employees and customers, it was only fitting that the company would tap some homegrown talent.

Chris Vos, the band’s lead vocalist and guitarist, grew up on a dairy farm about a 50-minute drive southwest from Milwaukee, and fronted local bands Freshwater Collins from the late ‘90s until 2005, and Invade Rome from 2008 to 2010.

“When I was at UW-Milwaukee, I saw B.B. King from right there,” Vos said late into the 90-minute show, pointing to a spot in the crowd. “It’s pretty surreal to be looking from this direction.”

But Vos, and the band, have earned the right to play a big stage, displaying an ultra-polished set Friday sharpened by seven years of aggressive touring — including an opening slot on John Mayer’s 2017 arena tour — without sacrificing any sizzling spontaneity.

Time and again, Vos stunned with the versatility of his skills Friday, stomping across the stage amid a blustery harmonica solo for “On the Move,” and complementing his gruff, honey-dipped vocals with a flash of fine falsetto for “Feels So Good.”

Guitar, though, is his greatest strength, with Vos spinning with the ferocity of an F3 tornado during his solo for set opener “Baby I’m Broken,” and laying down scorching lap steel guitar riffs for “Rita Mae Young.”

Vos is the undisputed star of The Record Company, but his bandmates are no slouches. For practically every song, Marc Cazorla delivered driving, kick-drum cadences and rattling, crashing cymbals, while bassist Alex Stiff ruled the band’s most memorable hook to date, for breakout single “Off the Ground,” and commanded his own white-knuckle solo for “Good.”

Along with those originals from the band’s 2016 Grammy-nominated debut album “Give It Back to You,” The Record Company’s set included four fun covers, both expected and seemingly out of the blue.

There were four songs from the band’s sophomore album, “All of This Life,” out June 22.

The album’s lead single “Life to Fix,” is The Record Company in sports-stadium-ready — reminiscent of the Black Keys in their arena-rock prime.

It would sure sound good in a Miller commercial.