Zeds Dead Put on an Electrifying Show at Navy Pier

  It's 43 degrees in Chicago right now. On Saturday, October 21, the day of the Zeds Dead Navy Pier takeover, it was 71. The infamous Chicago summer went out with a bang. Well, a dubstep bang full of kickdrums and high watts for in-your-face energy. The show was definitely a marathon but with festival-vibes. Everyone had on their newly purchased Deadbeats (Zeds Dead's record label) tshirts and snapbacks on and earplugs in hand (PSA: you're more of a badass when you wear them) ready to go. There was a line for security at 5:17PM and people were ready to kick off the night with Diskord right at 6PM. The artists were ready to go as well. k?d was 10 minutes late coming to the stage because Ephrom was having too much fun and forgot to stop. From all the people that I met that night, k?d was definitely the most talked about. He's an artist that is turning heads with his mix of dubstep and melodic. It also helps when he throws in songs of the already established Madeon and Porter Robinson. Ghastly could have done a flip off the stage if security allowed him. Not only was his energy felt throughout the crowd, his original tracks mixed with drops from artists like Trampa kept everyone moving. The pushed forward as the high point neared. Zeds Dead came on and made their presence known. What I especially love about Zeds Dead is their ability to take the listener on a journey. They threw in old school dubstep that is more mellow than the modern day EDM listener is accustomed to. The artists also love to use strong female vocals in many of their tracks, especially the closing collab with Illenium, Where The Wild Things Are. Don't forget the incredible catchy, You Know, with Oliver Heldens. Every attendee walked out of the show feeling ready for more but were greeted by the refreshing wind off the lake to cool their sweaty bodies and clothes. And I'm sure the party did not die down over at Concord where Zeds Dead, announced that morning, threw down an after party. I wasn't able to make it, but that show went till way after 3:30am. Well done. While dubstep is not my favorite genre, after that show, it's moving up the ranks. After each show, I'm continually impressed with the improvements that Navy Pier is making to the acoustics in the hall. I have to give major props to the team over there. It was finely tuned for that show and will be even more for Above & Beyond on February 17!