The beat drops, the audience screams, the feet pound on the ballroom floor, and that’s when one must wonder: is the floor is supposed to vibrate like that? It is doubtful that the Phoenix Convention Center has ever seen a show quite like this.
Deadmau5 definitely rang in September with a bang, boom, and a few extra bump-ba-dum-bumps. Joel Zimmerman, who takes on his Deadmau5 persona with a set of enormous mouse helmets, began his set unseen by the audience. Only a monumental Rubik’s Cube twirled as the opening chords progressed, a soundtrack for his fans’ anticipation. As the cube came apart, its sections found themselves cozy little spots on the stage to warp the audience’s sight with an intense light show. Then, Zimmerman was revealed. As he concentrated on his anything-but-average turntable and mixer, waving his hands up periodically, he began to bob his large mouse head up and down to the beat.
The event was nothing short of a legal rave. Fans dressed up in neon furry boots, fishnet tube dresses, homemade mouse heads, and a few psychedelic characters from Alice In Wonderland. The graphics from the stage would have tripped out even the soberest of people — not that most of the audience was even looking at the stage. Most in attendance were concentrated on dancing the night away.
The 30-year-old Canadian disc jockey created another world with his spectacular show. Images of his Deadmau5 cartoon prancing around Mario’s video game world filled the screens of the LED cube pieces, and when the clock struck 11 p.m., all visuals let loose. Guest performer Sofi Toufa strutted onto the stage for the song “Sofi Needs A Ladder” in a sequined, hooded unitard as she belted out her vocals above the beats. Zimmerman draped his ghostly costume over himself and came out from his booth to spook his audience during “Ghosts ‘n’ Stuff,” wearing an LED mouse helmet that projected fiery, gear-like, and ambient images to match the rest of his set.
It would be hard to say that this was a disappointing show. Fans chanted and screamed as they took to the streets of Phoenix, pumped for whatever after party was next. Which is precisely what a Deadmau5 show is — one of the greatest parties ever.
Reach the reporter at lkjorda1@asu.edu
