Deadmau5 finds life

Joel Thomas Zimmerman, better known as Deadmau5, dropped his self-produced beats to sold-out crowds Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday at the House of Blues, all while wearing his signature Mickey Mouse-esque helmet.

I don’t passionately listen to electronic music, nor do I identify with the rave scene at all, but hey, I like to dance and Deadmau5 is great for dancing. I felt like an outsider amongst the men and women with neon clothing, glow sticks, light gloves and expanded pupils. I was just there to dance and enjoy the music, but then again, so were they. Deadmau5’s carefully produced tunes give you a sense of freedom to completely let loose and leave your comfort zone when out on the dance floor. Those who criticize electronic music have probably never experienced a live show. Admittedly the morning after came with a tiring hangover (come on guys, it’s Deadmau5).

From the pieces of the show I remember, I danced with guys dressed up like the Super Mario Bros with Mario’s hat and green sunglasses. Win. I danced with a short Asian girl who had mouse-ear shaped glow sticks that she insisted belonged on my head. I witnessed three people pass out on the dance floor, giving “go big or go home” a whole new meaning. However, the one thing I remember the most was the “oneness” in the crowd. Everyone was feeling the vibes of the music together – or perhaps it was the ecstasy? – but in theory, it looked pretty.

Amidst the endless sea of ecstasy induced grinding, the light show illuminated the flow of bodies against one another. The DJ set was suspended twenty feet above the actual stage with two large, triangular light fixtures to the left and right. Behind him was a massive screen. Deadmau5’s lights and lasers were exactly on cue to every beat for the entire two and a half hour set. The stage acted as a screen as well and every song coincided with moving shapes and figures on the screen. Deadmau5’s show went far beyond a simple musical performance; it was an eclectic mix of house, progressive and dubstep with orchestrated visuals. The lights and visuals alone could be a show within itself.

Deadmau5 played a majority of his songs from his newest album 4×4=12, such as “Animal Rights and Some Chords.” He also played “Sofi Needs Her Ladder.” To the audiences’ surprise, the actual SOFI made a guest appearance during the song. Equipped with six-inch stilettos, SOFI strut on to stage with a sparkling unitard and metallic hair. Her high-pitched voice provided a balance to Deadmau5’s low bass. Her beauty and vibrant energy was enough to engage the fans. Her performance gave the audience a much-needed human interaction, which was lacking in Deadmau5’s otherwise perfect spectacle.

The crowd was exuberant when he launched “Ghosts N Stuff,” his most popular song off Lack of a Better Name, though many feared it was the end of the night. The House of Blues vibrated when the beat dropped at twenty seconds in. After the six-minute song, he rushed off stage. No one moved. We knew it could not be finished. He hadn’t played “Strobe” yet. Less than thirty seconds later, the mau5 helmet emerged from behind the DJ set. Without hesitation, the speakers blasted “Limit Break.” The crowd was back in motion. He then continued to play two more songs until the finale: “Strobe.” This 10-minute masterpiece of electronic music is his most critically acclaimed and my personal favorite. The beat slowly built up, giving the crowd a feeling of euphoria, yet anxiousness for the drop. Six minutes in, it finally came. The venue erupted with sound. Fans jumped and swayed to the rhythms until the very last beat.