ZHU Thrills With Again-To-Again Nights At The Greek Theater In LA [Event Review]
Since witnessing ZHU’s debut efficiency at HARD Summer time in 2014, I’ve seen him seven subsequent instances. Every time, each time he’d make the choice to carry out, there was all the time an intent to develop, to raise, the efficiency. When he performed on the Shrine in 2016, it was for the GENERATIONWHY album and the primary tour he launched his guitarist and saxophonist. By the point I noticed him at World Dance Pageant in 2019, he’d performed away with the veil and thriller of the mission, his music capable of communicate for itself.
Now, in 2021 for his DREAMLAND 2021 tour, the present has developed to the purpose of full-on stay spectacle. The mix of over 5 years of stellar music, an excellent stay manufacturing, and an immaculate imaginative and prescient has taken ZHU’s stay present past the everyday CDJ and LED-wall motif — though these are nonetheless current.
Starting with “Misplaced It” from his new album was a no brainer. Such a bombastic opening to an album might solely translate equally effectively to a stay setting, and it set the tone splendidly for the remainder of the evening. Past a lot of his hits all through the evening, ZHU additionally peppered in stay edits and covers of songs like “…Child One Extra Time” by Britney Spears, “Creep” by Radiohead, and “Immigrant Tune” by Led Zeppelin. Although DJs are not any strangers themselves to throwing in songs that aren’t essentially “EDM,” doing so in a stay setting positively had a much bigger impression. You might really feel the power from the gang when, as an illustration, the opening “dun dun dun” chords from “…Child One Extra Time” got here into focus.
The stay setting additionally benefitted the set in the best way that ZHU was capable of transfer from softer, slower moments like “Blue Dream” to intense, grandiose tracks like “Desires” with Nero or “I Admit It” with 24kGoldn, each banner moments from the set.
Past all of that was merely the best way ZHU carried himself on stage, with the swagger, musicality and pop sensibility of The Weeknd mixed with the tastemaking and vogue of Kanye West and the boldness of somebody who’s been doing this for a decade longer than he has.
Backside line, if you happen to had been on the fence about shopping for a ticket to a present on this tour, do your self the service of hitting that “purchase” button.
@ZHUmusic final evening was a vibe ✨ pic.twitter.com/QiJsBY8yS2
— bbbunny? (@elaineajay) October 12, 2021
I assume Monday’s aren’t so unhealthy in spite of everything ? @ZHUmusic pic.twitter.com/FvgSPXnpEx
— ɛɦɦɦʍǟƈǟʀɛռǟ (@Maca_Smallz) October 12, 2021
this was so good, nonetheless can’t recover from it @ZHUmusic ? pic.twitter.com/RnVq9h6CeE
— ?? (@gustxvohernxndz) October 12, 2021
Picture by way of Joey Vitalari