March 27, 2024

Zeds Dead and Friends Takeover Navy Pier for DeadBeats: The Tour

Chicago’s historic Navy Pier was buzzing with excitement as fans of Canadian duo Zeds Dead approached the entrance. Navy Pier’s music hall is something to marvel at, an absolutely massive stage set-up and the space to host 10,000+ fans. As the doors opened at 5pm, fans eagerly rushed the stage getting their front row spot for the night.

Eprom:
First to hit the stage was Diskord and Eprom who followed. As the room filled for Eprom, fresh off tour with G Jones, you could feel the energy coming to a boil. Unleashing an all out bass music set, Eprom stayed true to his dark style. Bringing heavy-hitting sounds to the eager crowd, Eprom out-did himself. An impressive set after his recent b2b with G Jones at Chop Shop during their Lollapalooza after-show.

K?D:

Next to hit the stage was K?D, an up-and-comer to the electronic seen with a passionate group following. Fans wearing K?D merch pushed to the front as Patrick took to the stage. Bringing a Flume-esc sound to the room, K?D was a great introduction to the headliner’s of the evening. K?D left the room ecstatic; next on was the legend, Ghostface Killah.

Ghostface Killah:

As Ghostface entered the room the electronic fans went wild. The Wu-Tang member immediately brought the iconic boom-bap sound to the electronic evening. Paying tribute to Wu-Tang classic’s such as C.R.E.A.M. and O.D.B.’s Shimmy Shimmy Ya, Ghostface had the crowds hands high and bouncing.  Killah Priest joined Ghostface on stage, bringing the iconic energy of Wu-Tang’s live performances.

Ghastly (◕,,,◕) :

David Crow began with what could only be described as immersive. The young, talented producer seemed to be living in a dream. Bringing incredible energy to the stage, Ghastly touched on multiple genres, from electro-house, dubstep and trap. Premiering a new song as well as concluding his set with a Welcome to the Black Parade remix which the entire Navy Pier crowd sung along.

Zeds Dead:

As the crowd chanted Zeds Dead and the ZD logo flashed on the screens the crowd began to stir. Dry ice cannons released a fog, coating the stage. As the duo took to the decks, images of Mars flashed on the screen, the crowd in shock. As fans jumped for joy, hugged their friends, hopped up on shoulders and settled in. Zeds Dead hit Chicago with unrelenting dubstep; for the first half of their set the crowd did not stop moving.

Settling down with a short section of deep house tracks and special visit from GG Magree for their track Frontlines. The duo took the crowd through a whirlwind of genres, bring their iconic heavy bass music  as well as a more light house section of the performance. After a crushing remix of Flux Pavilions Bass Cannon, the duo payed tribute to their older fans. Playing out tracks such as Adrenaline, Coffee Break and Rude Boy really brought out a sense of nostalgia.

For those who have listened to Zeds Dead since beginning, this set was a dream come true. A phenomenal mix of new and old-school. From the deep bass music of Eprom, to the boom-bap stylings of Killah Priest and Ghostface and the legendary duo of Zeds Dead. Navy Pier was an absolutely incredible showcase of talent from all the artists involved.

Photos by Corey Kaneko