This past Friday, Penn State was lucky enough to be able to host Zedd for the night, an excellent way to wrap up syllabus week. People had been anticipating the event since it was announced last semester; excitement and ravers were all around.
The show was incredible from the moment the doors opened. The Bryce Jordan Center was using their “arena” setup, with the stage in front, large floor space for dancing, seats in the stands, and black curtains encompassing it all, creating a tent-like feel. The openers were great and set the tone for the night, give the crowd great tracks to dance to while they patiently waited for Zedd, who took the stage around 10pm.
Zedd’s set was such a spectacle, that it is almost indescribable. However, after thinking about it long and hard, and looking for just the right words, I might be able to do the trick. The songs themselves were captivating, going into every audience members soul; the bass pulsing through our veins and taking over completely. Zedd opened up with his remix of Avicii’s “Wake Me Up,” and played some of his own crowd favorites, such as “Clarity” and “Fall Into the Sky.” He also played remixes of other DJ’s songs such as Skrillex’s “Breakin’ A Sweat,” Daft Punk’s “Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger,” and Dada Life’s “Kick Out the Epic Mother Fucker,” which you can check out below. All in all, he played an incredible set from the first minute to the last, complete with confetti explosions, smoke machines, insane beat drops, and marvelous energy throughout it all.
The lights were awesome, in the most original sense of the word. They were so bright you could feel your retinas burning, but so entrancing you couldn’t look away. His artistry of just the right variations of colors and strobes mixed with the visual effects on his DJ booth, which included galaxies that made you feel like you were in a different world, made the show incredibly fantastic.
Looking back, it was more than a rave, or an EDM show. It was truly an experience, and a mind-blowing one at that.
For the full album of pictures from the show, check out our Facebook Page.