In The Loop Magazine Under The Chicago Sky, deadmau5 Turns Navy Pier Into One Massive Dance Floor

Under The Chicago Sky, deadmau5 Turns Navy Pier Into One Massive Dance Floor

Oct 20, 2026 admin_bitlc Features, Music News, Reviews 0

By Scarlett Medina Alvarez

“Baby, do you remember when there were fireworks at Lake Michigan?” Kanye West wrote those lyrics for his 2007 song “Homecoming,” and every time I hear them, I get chills. But I don’t think that until Saturday night, I had ever experienced Lake Michigan quite like that.

It all started at 9 p.m., when deadmau5 took the stage after four excellent sets from other DJs. One thing’s for sure, he didn’t keep the crowd waiting, and to say Navy Pier went crazy would be an understatement. Not even the beginning of Chicago’s cold weather was going to stop anyone from having a good time.

Joel Zimmerman, better known as deadmau5, started his career a little over 25 years ago, and it’s safe to say he’s still got it. And he knows it. Yes, a good part of the crowd was in their 30s, people who probably started listening to him in high school and for whom the night was something of a nostalgia trip. But you could also see younger fans and the occasional 60-year-old, and somehow end up dancing with them. That’s the thing about the EDM scene, you never really know how the night is going to go, but one thing is almost guaranteed. There’s no judgment, and everyone is there to have a good time.

The night started a little slow, with some house music, but that was just a warm-up for everything he had prepared for us over the next two hours. His set was full of crazy visuals and energy, but even without them, the atmosphere would have been amazing, and part of that is thanks to Chicago. There was something magical about those moments when all the lights and visuals would go pitch black, and all you had was the music, Lake Michigan, the flags moving with the wind and the night sky above you. You couldn’t help but look around and think, “Wow, life is great.” And deadmau5 was the soundtrack to that moment.

That’s definitely one of the amazing things about being at Navy Pier Open Air. Although one downside is that if you’re standing off to the sides, the sound doesn’t completely surround you the way it does in the center. You can still feel the vibrations, but it’s not quite the same. Still, if you found the right spot, the music would completely take over.

At one point, I asked someone how they were feeling, and they told me, “It fills me with happiness. It’s an expression.” And looking around, I could see exactly what they meant.

Around the middle of his set, the moment we had all been waiting for finally happened. He pulled out the iconic mau5head, and the crowd went crazy. The atmosphere shifted almost immediately, and the sound of everyone cheering was practically deafening.

By then, Navy Pier had turned into one massive dance floor whether you were at the barricade, behind the DJ booth or all the way in the back, the party was everywhere.

I had the opportunity to experience the show from behind the DJ booth, and one thing I can confirm is that the crowd was never dead. People were constantly dancing, from headbanging and jumping to simply moving along with the beat. But I also spent time all the way in the back, where little dancing circles would form and let me tell you those were just as fun.

Part of that energy came from deadmau5 himself. He wasn’t just standing behind the booth playing music. He was partying with us, dancing, enjoying the music and encouraging the crowd. You could tell he was having just as much fun as everyone else, and he made sure we knew it every time he raised his Corona and cheered with us.

As the night progressed, he moved into some techno and dubstep, and that’s when things got even crazier. The crowd went harder, the visuals became more intense, and you could hear people around you saying things like “This is crazy” and “Wow.” Some of the visuals were honestly so entrancing that you couldn’t help but stop dancing for a second just to look at them.

The dubstep portion was definitely one of my favorite parts of his set. It was insane. You didn’t just hear the music; you felt it in your entire body. Even the barricade seemed to vibrate with the bass. And that’s what I loved about the night. Being able to go from house to techno to dubstep in the same set, and watching the crowd’s energy change with every transition, without ever losing that sense of community.

The visuals were telling a story of their own, too. Deadmau5 didn’t really need to say much to the crowd, and honestly, he didn’t. The music and the lights did most of the talking for him. But of course, there were also those moments when he went back to his classics, and you could immediately tell which songs people had been waiting for. When “I Remember” started playing, the excitement on fans’ faces said everything. People knew the music, the beats and the lyrics, and it was impossible not to get caught up in it. It was banger after banger, with some unexpected moments here and there.

One of my favorite things about deadmau5 was how relaxed he seemed throughout the whole performance. He has this confidence that makes everything feel effortless, and his interactions with the audience were genuinely funny.

At one point, while taking a drink of his beer, he accidentally cut off the music when putting it down. And honestly? That just made the whole thing funnier. It was such a real moment, because in one way or another, we’ve all been there. It’s the little things like that that remind you there’s an actual person behind the massive production, someone who’s clearly enjoying himself and isn’t afraid to have a little fun.

As the set approached its end, the energy became a little calmer after all the heavier dubstep, but it never stopped being incredible. He gave Chicago a full version of one of his songs, thanking the city for having him, and when he put the mau5head back on, it almost felt like one last gift to the crowd. He ended the night in a way that couldn’t have been more on-brand, finishing his beer, thanking Chicago and joking, “Just keep giving me free beer and I’ll keep showing up.”

I’ve got to say, EDM is my kind of scene, and this was my first time seeing deadmau5 live. I really couldn’t have asked for a better introduction. It’s clear that he has built a loyal fan base, one that can sing along to his classics lyric for lyric, but what stood out to me even more was the community around his music. People of different ages, different backgrounds and probably completely different music tastes all coming together for the same reason.

For two hours, Navy Pier was one big dance floor, with Lake Michigan and the Chicago skyline as the backdrop. And thinking back to that Kanye West lyric, I think I finally understand what makes a night by Lake Michigan feel so special.

For more on deadmau5, click here