Arriving at any artist’s performance where they started their humble beginnings is a surreal experience. The crowd is different at these types of shows, acting like a homecoming of those who have watched the artist grow throughout the years. Upon arriving at REBEL nightclub, spherical glowing eyes illuminated the crowd from the ubiquitous presence of fan-made Mau5heads, proving how important this concert was to his fans.
The event started with DJs Manzone & Strong, resident DJs for INK Events. Over the years, they’ve been responsible for waking the crowd at events like Noir, Toybox, Cabana Pool Bar, VELD, and REBEL, certainly waking up the crowd for a Sunday designated for celebration.
This was the first solo appearance of deadmau5 in the city for a while. He headlined VELD in the summer, debuting Rezz and his duo as Rezzmau5. He performed Club mixes of his earlier tracks such as Some Chords to his newer material with Kaskade (KX5) with Escape. Throughout his set, he gladly took and wore the fan-made Mau5heads, leaving those fans ecstatic about the once-in-a-lifetime moment.
It was clear that excitement was palpable. deadmau5 not only expressed himself through his mic but also his performance length, stretching his set to over four hours long and dipping into his alter-ego test-pilot, which represents the darker side of his music taste. Specifically stating, “Trust me, nobody gets 4-hour sets. Only you guys, only Toronto.” The atmosphere continued with steady anticipation and euphoria, right until the night came to a close.
Captivating an audience of a few thousand for over four hours is something that very few artists can only aspire to master. His sold-out show proved that even after 25 years of making music, deadmau5 is here to stay.
