deadmau5 cube v3 @ South Side Ballroom, Dallas, TX

Words and photos by Scott Rowe

deadmau5 has been tinkering with his cube stage production for quite some time now and he kicked off his v3 North American tour in Dallas with a two-night stay at the South Side Ballroom.  While deadmau5, whose real name is Joel Zimmerman, has most recently performed at the 2016 edition of Lights All Night, the annual New Year's Eve electronic celebration, he hasn't performed a proper headlining gig in Dallas since 2011, when he performed in the same building but when the venue was named the Palladium Ballroom.  I remember being awestruck by his performance in 2011, as the production was fantastic and the crowd loved every second of it.  So, going into the cube v3 show, I was holding some pretty high expectations for the mau5 but he and his crew did not disappoint.

Much like his previous performance in the Ballroom, the first night of the tour was sold out and the standing room only floor was packed and dripping with anticipation.  Once Zimmerman took control of his cube, the energy throughout the room reached fever pitch and waves of movement exploded throughout the venue.  And this show was not just about the music, Zimmerman and crew made sure of that.  It was a total experience for the senses, a perfectly orchestrated balance of auditory and visual stimulation that you can experience with a monster production such as cube v3.  The constant changing of visuals as the music bounced from track to track kept the crowd engaged, wondering what was coming next.  And like most deadmau5 tours, Zimmerman brought his fellow Canadian, LIGHTS, to provide vocals for "Raise Your Weapon" and "Drama Free".  Much like his show in 2011, I left South Side floored by what I had just witnessed.  A masterclass in production and a fantastic performance by one of the most popular and respected artists in the genre.

Photos of the show are below:

enjoy.