DAY OF THE DEADMAU5 2020
Mau5trap Presents:
Day of the deadmau5 from Seatgeek Stadium
Halloween Weekend
Bridgeview IL
Fri 10/30/20

Joel Zimmerman aka deadmau5 brings his annual Day of the Deadmau5 2020 shows on Halloween weekend to Seatgeek Stadium in Bridgeview Illinois.
Another title to keep in mind in the midst of a pandemic like we’ve been experiencing for most of 2020:
Day of the Deadmau5 with shows At The Drive Inn (Two Nights) on Halloween Weekend 2020.
The second title refers to social distancing, in the gigantic west facing parking lot immediately west of Seatgeek Stadium in Bridgeview, cars only in designated spots, having to wear masks and stay in their designated space throughout the show.
Not as bad as it sounds with all the rules and suggested protocol, to make for a fan friendly and inviting atmosphere on Halloween Weekend just outside of Chicago- all that couldn’t be controlled was the inclement weather once the sun sets and the drop in temperature- roughly 30 degrees, along with a windchill.
As much as you want to tough it out- constant cold and camera gear with a mask on fogs up everything eyepiece wise- that, and keeping your hands warm while working your manual controls for a two hour show.
Having said that, have to say I’m more than satisfied with the picture taking and the results you see here on this post, and musically, Joel Zimmerman still makes a formidable presence, even without his sophisticated 21 foot Cube V3.
The LED screens he used for this set of outdoor shows for Day of the deadmau5 are technically still standard fare for most EDM acts- gigantic horizontal ones both at the rear of the stage behind Joel, and of course in front of his rig and to the stage.
Sounds mundane and simple- but keep in mind with deadmau5- it’s anything but when it comes to his sophisticated visuals, and his software which matches everything up perfectly to his beats.
No other major EDM artist to the present day compares with this level of production.
Taking up residence at the Chicago Drive Inn at Seatgeek Stadium for two consecutive nights over Halloween weekend- Joel says he’s performing these shows “unhooked”, but like I just said, retaining his retina searing and sophisticated visuals, along with a booming and thumping PA that makes all deadmau5 events oh so memorable.
Coming along for the ride is fellow Canadian artist Kiesza, who came out to sing their new release “Bridged by a Lightwave”, which shows the dance royalty of these two producing a song that has a driving and hypnotic beat with outstanding vocals by Kiesza, reminiscent of previous high valued tracks such as “I Remember” and “Faxing Berlin”. The song itself is built around haunting and delicate vocals courtesy of Kiesza, which float along beautifully to the sophisticated beats of deadmau5.
You can tell by the performance of this song just how stoked Kiesza was to sing it live- to the point where towards the end Joel came out from behind his rig to attempt some ballet moves to match Kiesza- all in jest and fun, showing that their collaboration was meaningful and full of magic.
And so the show goes on, with more sophisticated visuals to follow, with a setlist that has the all the renowned songs that everyone knows by heart – such as “Ghosts n’ Stuff”, “Some Chords” (which opened the show), “My Pet Coelacanth”, and “Maths”, to name a few.
So to end things on a positive note: The Drive Inn format works, on many levels.
If the whole idea was to give his devoted fans a place to enjoy his live performance in a safe, socially distant environment, and to escape (even briefly) with ultra sophisticated EDM even in the height of COVID- 19 and the pandemic- then yes- deadmau5 succeeds on many levels.
Cheers-
Bobby Talamine – Music Photographer