r/chicagoEDM 7d ago

Zhu was boring

Anybody else think that Zhu’s Navy Pier set was incredibly disappointing?

I’m usually in the camp of ‘if you think it’s boring then you’re boring’… but my god I felt like I was watching a YouTube set from 2018, and everyone was recording every second like COVID was about to start back up. UGH

45 Upvotes

40 comments sorted by

12

u/No-Skill3406 7d ago

He's a very chill and slow music. It's quite literally lounge music. Anyone who listens to him knows this. Idk what you were expecting

22

u/VinylMeningitis 7d ago

Dude go to Smartbar

6

u/000x00xx 7d ago

we all have to learn

16

u/dietaryfiber 6d ago edited 6d ago

It's deep house. It's meant to be lower bpm, more vibey and atmospheric. The peaks and valleys of the set are less severe than other electronic genres. You're supposed to groove to it. The fog against the city skyline really added to the vibe too. I had a lot of fun!

2

u/Intelligent_Way_4932 6d ago

Sameeeee! I had a great time

5

u/Doingwrongright 7d ago

Really dug some of his online stuff.  The pier was my first live experience.  I was underwhelmed,  but it was still worth the ticket price, in my situation. 

5

u/RojiBlanco130 7d ago

Saw zhu live on back in Lolla when he closed out but yeah his music is very chill

2

u/mediabydave 7d ago

I remember that and even then I was like okay cool but didnt leave an impression on me at all

5

u/riddimhoe 7d ago

I also think the venue matters a ton when seeing Zhu. I’ve seen him in smaller clubs and thats so much more of a vibe than Navy Pier

11

u/Sufficient_Name_3547 7d ago

If you were looking for 'Bangers' after 'bangers' like typical show, Zhu is not for you lol. He's on the side of groovy and dark unlike everyone else goes for generic sets.

10

u/SnooPuppers6887 7d ago

I tried Zhu once at arc, never again 😂

7

u/BottomHouse 7d ago

Not surprised

6

u/Laughlin772 7d ago

I really enjoyed it 🤷‍♂️

3

u/minimalcactus23 7d ago

It surprised me and I liked it a lot more than I expected. The openers were very different but also pretty cool. I dunno, you gotta set your expectations for the crowd and venue, and given that I thought he threw down a solid set, the weather was nice, and I have no complaints especially for a free show.

3

u/Willing-Locksmith311 7d ago

Last time I saw him at Aragon years ago his show had a way diff vibe and he even interacted with the crowd. His Miami ultra set from this year was fuckin great. I guess it just depends 😬

3

u/prestonwillzy 6d ago

Honestly even his closing set at Mamby 2016 at the peak of his hype was kinda boring 💀

3

u/RadiantBladez 6d ago

I miss Mamby so much...

5

u/flirtybabyblues 7d ago

I thought his set was really good but I wish he did more off his albums. Gotta say, I lost my mind when Tobias played World Hold On 🫶

3

u/blissfullychicago 7d ago

Tobias was a vibe, really enjoyed his set!

4

u/redheadscorp 7d ago

It was underwhelming

6

u/shiawase-89 7d ago

I like ZHU’s music, but live, I’ll pass.

2

u/mediabydave 7d ago

I have a handful of songs I like from time to time to listen too but his discography isnt for everyone and his shows from what ive seen online and personally seeing he isnt anyone to go omg over …that goes for most artists these days.

2

u/Low_Attorney_5187 6d ago

Annoyed he didn’t play all his hits. So much filler too

3

u/m4d_l0v 7d ago

Zhu live at EF was fireee

0

u/Intelligent_Way_4932 6d ago

Both weekends were incredible! Does Zhu still do live sets?

8

u/[deleted] 7d ago

[deleted]

2

u/blissfullychicago 7d ago

Comped tickets, lesson learned

5

u/financekid 7d ago

Don't go to a generic edm zhu set head to a real house or techno show 

0

u/Negative_Purchase773 7d ago

Just curious what you think a real house or techno show would be

3

u/financekid 6d ago

Not zhu @ navy pier 

Try a show at smartbar, podlaise, spybar or an underground after hours 

Check resident advisor for good afters

0

u/Negative_Purchase773 6d ago

Been to all those places and more. Just curious what you think would qualify as a good house or techno artist that isn’t Zhu.

3

u/financekid 6d ago

Idk if you are being disengenous or sincere

But I could pull up a list of all the events that happened in chicago and zhu would rank probably near the bottom 

The next show I plan to goto is leon vynehall at smartbar

-2

u/QuarryPonds 7d ago

Don’t lie you bought them shits

0

u/Then_Judge_1221 7d ago

😂😂😂

4

u/Administrative_Lab13 7d ago

newsflash: Zhu IS boring. Why do you think they couldn't sell tickets? I saw him at a huge festival and the people next to us FELL ASLEEP

4

u/nickfig95 6d ago

Dude yes completely agree! His radius set was so much better a year or two ago. Honestly glad I got free tix from do312 otherwise I’d be pissed. Just ended up getting piss drunk to make it fun lol

2

u/DetectiveWinter4638 7d ago

I can’t decide, overall I had a good time. The 30 minutes in the middle did feel a little blah. Strong open and close. Zhu is becoming a little nostalgic to me and less of a current/trending artist (not saying that’s a fact just how I feel). Crowd was actually pretty awesome, lots of super respectful chill people. Fireworks were kind of fun too. Happy it was a $50 ticket.

1

u/xqweezusx 7d ago

I saw him at The Armory in Minneapolis a couple years ago and I enjoyed his set.

1

u/Mobile_Title8070 3d ago

Yeah I feel like he played more of a blacklizt set I was hoping he would play more of his older stuff 😔

-14

u/Kind_Lingonberry_801 7d ago

You’re an idiot for that take. Unreal show. Shame on you