Grammy-winning music producer and DJ Zedd never seems to stop. After a summer of seemingly nonstop playing at multiple clubs in Las Vegas and headlining Lollapalooza in Chicago, Zedd released his third studio album “Telos” and embarked on the Telos Tour. On Sept. 19, the Telos Tour arrived at MGM Music Hall at Fenway for its first of two shows at the venue.
After seeing Zedd perform at Lollapalooza, one of the biggest music festivals in the United States, I wondered how the energy of an iconic outdoor summer festival would transfer to a 5,000-person indoor concert hall. Would the aesthetic be different? Would the crowd be less excited? However, within the first couple minutes of Zedd taking the stage, all of my doubts faded away.
The first thing to praise about Zedd is how well he knows his crowd. Zedd does not try to build anticipation — he starts off with a bang and keeps the energy going all night. Within the first five minutes of his set, the stage was illuminated with flashing neon lights and graphics on a screen all perfectly synched to the song. Early highlights of the show were remixes of Hailee Steinfeld’s “Starving” (2016) and Lana Del Rey’s “Summertime Sadness” (2012). Though the latter is not a track Zedd is featured on, it was the perfect song to get the crowd excited early, as seen by the amount of fans screaming the lyrics.
Also, rather than being one of those artists who seem to loathe their iconic, most popular songs, Zedd embraces them. Eight out of 10 of his most streamed songs on Spotify appeared on the setlist, including the well-loved tracks “Clarity” (2012) and "Beautiful Now” (2015), among others. In a smart move, Zedd also strategically spaced out his most popular tracks — examples being “I Want You to Know” (2015) with Selena Gomez and “Stay the Night” (2012) with Hayley Williams being separated by the less popular “Lost at Sea” (2011) with Ryan Tedder.
While the music is obviously essential, sometimes with DJs, the stage production that accompanies the tracks can either feel too bland or too overwhelming and detract from the experience. Some DJs excessively use fire and pyrotechnics to maintain high energy, while others seem to blind you with pulsating lights and lasers. Thankfully, Zedd did not do any of this, and the stage production felt intentional. For “One More Time” (2015) by Daft Punk, Zedd opted for a rainbow scheme of lights which seemed to reflect the song’s cover art, in which there is a rainbow outline on the letters. Similarly, for “Stay” (2017) with Alessia Cara, the light matched the sunset that appears on the cover art. These details, while not something all concert-goers will pick up on, greatly contributed to the atmosphere of the set in the best way.
The stellar combination of stage production and music is perhaps best seen in “Break Free” (2014) with Ariana Grande. With the screen pulsing pure white to the repeated beat in the intro to the song, Zedd took his time to build the energy and anticipation for the song. The introduction to “Break Free” is the most intense, visually, as a majority of the song is simply played while golden lights surge across the stage and a crystal animation plays on the screen behind the DJ booth. One might wonder why Zedd does not go all out visually for one of his most famous songs, but arguably the intentionality behind the more simple stage production allowed the music to shine.
After closing with “The Middle” (2018) with Maren Morris and “Alive” (2013) with Empire of the Sun, Zedd left the stage., much to the confusion of the person behind me who audibly shouted to his friend next to him “No ‘Clarity’” — a moment of fear that they would not hear what I could only guess is their favorite song. Unlike my fellow concert-goers, I was prepared with my camera ready as the piano intro for “Clarity” began to play because I always review the setlist before a concert.
The energy during “Clarity” was unlike any other. From the screaming of the lyrics to the sea of phones recording, it was clear this was the moment everyone was waiting for — and Zedd delivered. The crowd was captivated and listening to every moment, with flashlights going up at Zedd’s command and the deafening singing when Zedd lifted his mic, indicating for the crowd to sing. Truly the perfect conclusion to an electric set.
