Deadmau5 at Red Rocks Amphitheatre - Day of the Deadmau5 Night Two
Show Review
Deadmau5 - A Night In Four Forms at Red Rocks
When the lights dimmed and the familiar hum of anticipation filled the amphitheater, it was clear this wasn’t going to be a typical Deadmau5 show. The famous Cube had been retired, making way for a new multi-level setup. Layered tiers of suspended lights, a full-screen backdrop, and a glowing deck table that pulsed like a living instrument. While perhaps less monolithic than the Cube, it marks transformation and progression, showcasing Joel Zimmerman’s continual reinvention of how electronic music is experienced.
With daylight savings time freshly ended, the entire night unfolded under the veil of darkness. A perfect playground for the intricate strobing and kinetic motion of the twenty-something floating light panels that shifted shape in real time, morphing from geometric grids to organic waves. It wasn’t just visuals; it was architecture in motion.
Joel opened the night in his techno alter ego, TESTPILOT, joking that he wanted to “thank Deadmau5 for letting him open.”
Bathed entirely in a deep blue light, his set was a study in control. The vibe is gritty, stripped-down, and relentless. It’s meant for dark warehouses and after-hours sets rather than festival main stages. The transitions are subtle and the tension comes from evolving textures rather than big drops. It’s all about rhythm, repetition, and space, channeling influences from Detroit and Berlin techno but with Deadmau5’s unmistakable production polish. It was the engineer’s mind on full display.
When the lights shifted to red and a female voice pierced the set change silence for DEATH PIXIE, the crowd might have expected another physical performer to take the stage, but no one did. Instead, an AI-styled figure materialized across the screens: a fully digital persona commanding the stage through visuals and sound while also performing and visually looking like they were playing the decks.
For thirty relentless minutes, DEATH PIXIE (a virtual dj) controlled the amphitheater with only dancers and, and special guest Skyler Grey’s physical presences onstage. The set fused heavy bass, glitchy percussion, and cybernetic melodies, all choreographed to animated visuals of a ghostly avatar dancing through digital space. It was immersive, eerie, and oddly human.
Whether DEATH PIXIE is an AI artist, a collective creation, or another manifestation of Joel’s endless experimentation, the effect was mesmerizing. A literal embodiment of music’s evolution into virtual identity.
When Joel returned as Deadmau5, he wasn’t alone. Two humanoid robots stood beside him, each animated by synchronized lights and motion, reflecting his chrome mau5head, a futuristic nod to his legacy.
The energy soared. Even thirty minutes in, the amphitheater was vibrating with that unmistakable Deadmau5 tension; long builds, euphoric drops, and immaculate sound design. Around 9 p.m., he paused to raise a glass and pay tribute to the late Garrett Lockhart (i_o), dedicating a track in his memory. It was a sincere, quiet moment amid the digital chaos.
Skylar Grey re-emerged for a collaborative number, her vocals weaving emotion through the circuitry. Joel also greeted his Patreon livestream audience, bridging the gap between the physical and digital realms once again. Near the close, he brought his entire tour staff on stage for a heartfelt thank-you; a rare, genuine glimpse behind the mask.
Just when it felt like the night had reached its peak, Joel shifted gears completely, launching into his drum & bass set. The tempo spiked, the lights snapped into rapid-fire motion, and the crowd erupted as familiar melodies were re-imagined at breakneck speed.
It was loose, energetic, and liberating. It was a final act that stripped away the grandeur and left only pure rhythm and motion. The DnB closer felt like a release valve for everything that came before: the precision of TESTPILOT, the digital chaos of DEATH PIXIE, and the emotional architecture of Deadmau5 himself, all condensed into a frenetic hour of kinetic energy.
Across the night’s four acts (TESTPILOT, DEATH PIXIE, DEADMAU5, and the DnB finale) Joel Zimmerman transformed Red Rocks into a living exploration of identity. The journey moved from analog precision to digital consciousness, from human control to algorithmic autonomy, and finally to unrestrained rhythm.
Under the shifting geometry of his new light rig, Deadmau5 didn’t just perform, he redefined the boundary between human and machine. It wasn’t merely a concert; it was a blueprint for where electronic music, and the artists who shape it, are headed next.
