In March of this year, Toronto-based dubstep duo Zeds Dead hit fans with a double whammy by announcing their upcoming tour, Journey of a Lifetime, alongside a planned break from performing next year. After more than 15 years touring worldwide, I’d say it’s time for them to rest and recharge as creatives. Fortunately, fans received the news with the same appreciation and excitement for their evolution as artists. Zeds Dead has presented this tour as their capstone project, intentionally summarizing their journey behind the decks and in the studio. The Journey of a Lifetime tour spans 12 cities and 15 nights of performances in the US and Canada.
Zeds Dead continued the second leg of their senior tour with a Mesa double-header this past weekend. Mesa Amphitheater served as an intimate outdoor venue where nearly 5,000 fans gathered to celebrate the milestone. I was especially moved by the wide range of merch attendees were rocking. Seeing the range of jerseys and shirt designs in a cohesive sea of dancing bodies felt symbolic of the tour’s overall intention. The song selection reflected this vibe beautifully. With only three performances left, I STRONGLY encourage you to make it to one of these three nights. The boys of Zeds Dead have put their all into this tour, and it truly shows through when they are behind the decks.
Journey of a Lifetime – Night One
Zeds Dead kicked off their night one set with a quick-cut montage of graphics, logos, and motifs from their various artistic chapters. As usual, the boys hit us with a lot of their mega hits from the past decade. My personal fave, the unreleased “Colors ID”, was given a new installation that had me a bit emotional! After the expected color cadence of “Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue,” we got a glorious addition of VIOLET! A symbolic bookend to the Spectrum of Intergalactic Happiness they have taken us on over the years. Another standout moment from night one was their feature of “In Your Head” from their most recent album, Return to the Return (of the Spectrum of Intergalactic Happiness). It felt like a comforting whisper from the boys telling us they will always be in our heads with memorable melodies.
To pair with this, “Sweet Memories” was a similar hug of a song. Featuring the 1973 soul classic “I Can’t Stand the Rain” by Ann Peebles, this 2024 release is recontexutalized with Zeds Dead’s upcoming tour hiatus. As we say goodbye to their performances for a while, they have also been preparing for this creative transition for a while. “Sweet Memories” perfectly reflects their mindset. As a wonderful treat for long-time Zeds Dead fans, they closed their first night with their famous remix of “Eyes on Fire”. Despite temperatures hanging around the high 90s all night, this track still gave us a hint of “hoa hoa” energy!
Journey of a Lifetime – Night Two
Night Two’s opening was a bit cheeky and perfectly tuned to the double header. Featuring the famous singing lips from the opening of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, we knew we had a legit science fiction double feature ahead of us. While many of the same set staples showed up again in night two, they worked in and out of them in entirely different ways. Overall, the vibe across the venue was much heavier than the night before. The drops hit harder, and the bass was more unhinged and feral. I also noticed the on-screen visuals favored the TV static imagery found on the cover of Return to the Return. As with night one, “Sweet Memories” held a prominent spot in their set, this time as the closing track. The placement also closely mirrors its album spot as being the penultimate track of Return to the Spectrum of Intergalactic Happiness.
Should You Hit BOTH nights in LA?
Realistically, you’re probably reading this to get a feel for how different each set was, so you can decide whether to hit both nights in LA this October. While each night featured anchor hits like Collapse, Lost You, Ecstasy of Soul, and Alive, the overall energy shifted drastically from night one to night two. I would summarize night one as nostalgic and lighter in tone, especially given their decision to close with their iconic remix of Eyes on Fire. Night two had the same meat and potatoes but was packaged entirely differently. Notably heavier than night one, it felt like the boys settled nicely into the OG dubstep energy of the mid-2010s.
Did we snap your picture at night one or two of this show? Check out our full album on Facebook!
With only three performances left on this tour, your time is running out! Check out the full list of their remaining live performances for the year before their 2027 hiatus.
