Madeon surprises El Rey crowd with versatile show


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With the excitement surrounding his debut studio album Adventure, French producer Hugo Pierre Leclercq, also known as Madeon, earned his 22-date North American tour this year.

Madeon’s most recent stop at the El Rey Theatre on April 15 showcased music from his new album, including all the fan favorites and top hits.

Madeon took the stage promptly at 10:15 p.m. after his opener The M Machine. The vibe of the theater was not very lively during the opening act’s performance, as its soft drops and slow beats weren’t enough to excite the crowd. The supporting act didn’t seem like much of a performance because the audience wasn’t involved with what was happening onstage. Awkward swaying and loud chatter filled the room as if background music was playing just to entertain the crowd. The lights onstage were so dim that the two DJs were barely visible, which just shows that their presentation was not much of a performance. After the duo played their last song, the audience cheered loudly, not to congratulate The M Machine, but in anticipation of seeing Madeon.

Chanting filled the venue as the audience yelled “Madeon! Madeon!” over and over until he came on stage. The atmosphere in the room changed dramatically, and everyone came to life, more than ready to see the main act. There was loud, non-stop cheering well before Madeon took the stage; the crowd even cheered for the tech guys that cleared off the set and prepped for the main act. After thinking that the excitement from the crowd couldn’t get any louder, the entire venue vibrated with applause and cheers the moment Madeon stepped into the spotlight. The artist opened his set with his most popular hit, “You’re On,” and immediately got the crowd involved by making them clap to the beat and jump up and down. The energy in the room was electrifying.

“The City” created a euphoric atmosphere as Madeon’s logo lit up in a larger-than-life-sized installation behind him. The audience shouted the lyrics with the music and enjoyed the incredibly beautiful light show at the back of the stage. Once “Pay No Mind” was mixed in his set, the stage lights changed from bright green hues to soft blue and purple to reflect his album cover.

The stage abruptly went silent at around 11:10 p.m., and the crowd was confused as to whether or not the set was over. Madeon’s worried face and nervous shuffling told the crowd that it wasn’t planned. The sound went out, and the performance had to be put on hold until the tech team was able to figure out what had happened. Madeon’s fans didn’t get upset in the slightest, however; instead, they cheered him on until the set was back on track. His name was yelled out repeatedly along with the words, “You can do it, it’s all right!” Some girls in the room started to suggest that Madeon sing, but this producer doesn’t sing, at least not that we know of. The artist grabbed the mic and apologized to the crowd for the inconvenience. After 15 minutes of silence, music finally blasted through the speakers and the show continued.

Madeon made a comeback with his song “Nonsense,” before quickly moving away from his DJ pad controllers and over to the keyboard. The lights dimmed while he played and sung a stripped-down version of “Home.” Every fan was shocked but extremely excited to learn that this producer could sing. It was a great recovery after having lost his sound just moments prior. After “Home,” Madeon ended his set in the same manner in which he started it — with “You’re On.” He took a bow and walked off stage, ending the Madeon “adventure.”