On-the-rise EDM artist ZHU brings flashing lights and energetic music to life with a refreshingly hypnotic twist.

After seeing ZHU’s live performance, it’s no wonder that practically every show on his DUNE tour is sold out. This mysterious man knows how to put on a captivating show that is sure to draw in any electro house lover. ZHU is definitely someone who knows how to make an entrance; suspense and excitement intensified in the crowd with his mysteriously enchanting song “Dreams,” which takes almost a minute before the beat drops or lyrics begin. What was only a minute felt like an eternity as anticipation built up in the crowd. ZHU finally entered the stage dressed in an all-black ensemble, looking ready to commence on an adventure in the desert just like his new album “RINGOS DESERT” suggests. However, it turned out that ZHU was actually ready to begin a journey with his fans.

ZHU’s light show was one for the books. His setup was pretty simple, featuring three pyramids faced with video panels, one main one for ZHU and two smaller ones on the sides for the musicians. The color scheme of his show started off fairly neutral, with a lot of black and white imagery and plain white light. This was very reminiscent of his album artwork for “THE NIGHTDAY.” However, as the night went on, ZHU’s light show grew into a colorful and mesmerizing experience. While his light show was simple when compared to some other “ravey” EDM artists, it paired perfectly with his straightforward, perplexing personality and matched perfectly with the beats and drops of his music.

One of the most surprising aspects of ZHU’s performance was that he had two other artists periodically come out on stage to play live instruments: a saxophonist and an electric guitarist. As fantastic as electronic music can be on its own, it’s refreshing to hear live instruments included in the electronic world. While many songs by electronic dance music artists include live instruments in the studio, they are rarely translated onto the stage of a live tour performance. These two musicians even had solo opportunities, which allowed them to connect with the audience themselves, and showed off their true colors and personalities. It was great seeing how much ZHU cared for his fellow team members, which was evident by him giving them more solo time, more than most lead performers usually give their supporting musicians.

As ZHU finished his final song for the night, he left the crowd of enthusiastic listeners yearning for more. After several minutes of eager attendees chanting, “One more song,” the awe-inspiring, peculiar ZHU made it out for his last and final appearance of the night. ZHU’s love and appreciation for his listeners were apparent by his over 10-minute-long encore.

Grade: A
Date: October 22, 2018
Venue: The Observatory North Park

Image courtesy of grammy.com.

Article by Hope Hoffman-Larson, Contributing Writer.