deadmau5 performed a two night stint at The Fillmore in Detroit. Photographs from the show published elsewhere.

Some gal with a blossom perched in her hair turned to me and said 'Now is this beautiful- or is this beautiful.' And it was.

Florescent green mouse ears bobbed up and down- mimicking the ebb and flow of the crowd. They had gathered to witness musician/producer deadmau5 work his electronic magic during his current Meowingtons Hax tour. Tonight's setting was Detroit, which is no stranger to the electronic wave that is  poised to take over the industry.

Detroit remains an integral force in electronic music worldwide, maintaining its position even as a steady influx hits the mainstream. [Detroit favors the underground - artistically and musically speaking: get too popular and it will turn its back on you as though you were its ugly stepchild] The mass appeal of deadmau5 points to a greater phenomenon: electronica reaching new levels in popular culture. Although, the advent  often signals the demise.

The mau5eketeers packed into The Fillmore to experience deadmau5. The wide variety of handmade mou5eheads fabricated by fans were impressive. The most prominent style of the evening was the traditional redhead, although an ample amount were dedicated to other color variations, some with XX eyes. The best pseudo-mou5e of the night award goes to the LED head- it lit up the place like a Disney float at The Main Street Electrical Parade.

deadmau5 puts on the Party of the Century each time he steps onstage. Tonight The Big Cheese made his grand entrance by being elevated through the floor. Donning a holey, mustard-yellow headcheese that had been designed by a fan, he settled in for the evening on a raised platform that towered high above the stage itself.

Although the stage is stationary- it felt like it was moving. It transformed and reconfigured itself in front of your eyes. The Rubik's Cube theme was a well-executed feat in electromagnetic computer-generated engineering. As the show progressed, the design concepts followed suit through spectacular use of lighting and synched beams.

Sometimes you felt like you were a character in a video game, other times the set morphed into a whole other dimension- propelling you into another planet. Heavy reverberations bounced around the theatre like a pinball. Bass starts in your jaw and moves outward- expanding to every point in your body.

The crowd was exuberant, sporadically 'throwing their wedges in the air.' deadmau5 has no choice, his perma-grin makes him appear really, really happy- the exception being when the eyes are eerily illuminated and the smile is obliterated in darkness- that is sinister.  Throughout the night, however, the audience's smiles refuse to fade.

deadmau5 has an unbelievable control over his audience. With one 'angry' fist- [remember- the unwavering smile] or a dual raising of hands, he can command his fans to their knees.

It is masterful. The crescendos arrive at the right time, spilling over with precision impact- all the while he is covertly scheming to take you into some back alley and leave you there. Then, just in time- he skillfully picks you up and carries you from the background to the foreground again, without anyone realizing you were ever gone.

At one point, nearing the end of his almost two hour set- he was starting to lose the masses en masse. So he delved into his bag of tricks and pulled something out of his hat, pounding down the beats and regained control like some sovereign leader. It was then that the building went insane.

How does Joel Zimmerman, a ghost-faced kid from Toronto manage to carry a ragin' party every night? There must be something in the swiss- or is it gouda? No matter, one thing is definite- this mou5e runs tha house.

Was trying to book a stay at The Chelsea & it is CLOSED, with its future uncertain. Another dream had been dashed- now I will never wake up to a Chelsea Morning, but a perpetual Clouds in my Coffee. *Boo-Hoo*

Time to go to the pumpkin patch & apple orchard!

Tonight is the 5th Anniversary Celebration of the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit.  There will be a silent art auction, dinner by well-revered local restaurants, as well entertainment by talented artists. 
Entertainment begins at 9pm~ the line-up includes: Ze Dark Park, Prussia, HAUTE to DEATH, (Ash Nowak + Jon Dones) & DJ Brian Gillespie.  
Visit www.mocadetroit.org for details.

Nothing compares to a New Mexican sunset. The colors, displayed in combinations only found in dreams, are rare throughout the rest of the country. So it was highly unusual that tonight, as the setting sun dropped down from its perch, that the midwestern sky was transformed into a scene from 'The Land of Enchantment.'

Zach Condant is familiar with those New Mexican sunsets. His journey into the music which would morph into his band- Beirut, started out within the confines of his Santa Fe bedroom. It  then expanded, trouabador-style, into the streets of Paris, Oaxaca, and wherever else he felt the desire to roam through.

These memories and experiences became inspiration for his albums, in which he tells stories that are heartbreaking yet wildly exuberant. Passionate  lyrics, often poetic, never contrived, cascade over the layers of instruments.  His earlier work stems from a naive inquisitiveness, laced with the interests of an old soul.

Strings of lights cascaded over the stage at The Royal Oak Music Theatre. Beirut took their places below them.  They came to rock this town, old world-style.

With his french horn tattoos peeking out from underneath his dark jacket-  the mastermind behind Beirut barreled into 'Scenic World.'  The voice that resonated throughout the historic theatre is that of an early David Byrne, although not as fully formed. In appearance, he calls to mind a young Beatle, namely Paul McCartney.

Beirut is serious musicianship, surrounded by tomfoolery and  banter. The haunting baritone, that booms when it wants to, is accompanied by an extremely talented bunch of boisterous musicians. All play a menagerie of instruments and perform with jubilance, interspersed with a choir of diverging voices.

And in the end, the band exits quietly, leaving Condon alone on stage. Much as he started out- a world away- by himself, alone in his room in New Mexico.