Zedd takes Indian EDM fans on a trip down memory lane with his Telos Tour concert in Gurugram

Electronic music wunderkind Zedd, had the crowd in the palm of his hand, gliding effortlessly between ‘Clarity’, ‘The Middle’ and more chart-topping hits, before surprising us with AC/DC, Daft Punk, Vivaldi, and even a drum-solo detour into Punjabi MC’s ‘Mundian To Bach Ke’; during his Telos Tour concert in Gurugram

You can always tell when you’re at a great EDM show in the ways the crowd becomes something greater than the sum of its parts. It’s in the charged stillness before a drop, the collective breath that makes the air itself feel electric. It’s in the way bodies instinctively move before the first bass hit even lands, as if guided by some unseen force. It’s in the flicker of surprise and delight when an unexpected favourite sneaks its way into the setlist, setting off a ripple of knowing screams. And it’s in that rare, almost sacred moment when thousands of strangers move in perfect unison, surrendering something bigger than themselves. Last night at the Huda Gymkhana Club in Gurugram, under a sky cool enough to sharpen the senses but not cold enough to dull the euphoria, these moments were undeniable and everywhere.

It had been years since Zedd last performed in India, and his return felt overdue. The crowd at the Sunburn event had already been sufficiently primed by a lineup of warm-up acts including DJs UD-T and Beatcrush, and by the time the exceptional Dutch DJ Mesto closed his set out with a mix of festival anthems, the anticipation was almost unbearable. People were already singing along to tracks that weren’t even Zedd’s, arms slung over each other’s shoulders, waiting for the real show to begin.

And then, just past eight, the lights cut out. The bass rumbled low, a buzzing heartbeat through the speakers — the instantly recognisable first synth notes to Radiohead’s ‘Everything In Its Right Place’ began to take form. And in a split second, Zedd seemingly instant transmissioned himself behind the decks, arms raised; the LED screens behind him exploding into a polychromatic burst of energy. No slow build up, no easing into it. Just full-throttle Super Saiyan from the get-go.

Having opened the night with a moody, left-field choice like Radiohead, the start felt like the calm before the storm. But then, the storm hit. For the next two hours, the Grammy-winning DJ took the crowd on a ride through his career and peppered them with nostalgic surprises, pulling from every corner of his influences.

Within minutes, the energy surged as he seamlessly transitioned between a generous helping of different genres and decades into a whirlwind of euphoria. AC/DC’s Thunderstruck exploded into a pulsating house drop, Lana Del Rey’s Summertime Sadness melted into Daft Punk’s One More Time, and just when we thought we had him all figured out, the German producer threw us more curveballs — the ominous vocal swells from Squid Game’s Pink Soldiers metamorphosed into Acraze’s Do It To It and later, the baroque strings of Vivaldi’s Winter, cascaded over a deep, rolling bassline.

The genre-bending didn’t stop there. A nod to the new wave in Fred Again and Swedish House Mafia’s Turn On the Lights again had the crowd locked in, while a special moment for the hometown audience arrived in the form of Zedd pounding the beats to Punjabi MC’s Mundian To Bach Ke on his drum set. The second that unmistakable dhol rhythm kicked in, the energy shifted — people who had been bouncing in perfect sync now broke into full-on bhangra mode. Drinks were tossed in celebration, strangers hyped each other up, and for a moment, the little maidan outside the Crowne Plaza felt like a massive desi wedding reception.

The visuals were as much a part of the experience as the music. The LED visuals were mesmerising, shifting seamlessly between hypnotic geometric patterns, vibrant bursts of colour, and dreamlike landscapes that pulsed in sync with the music. The pyrotechnics weren’t overused but strategically placed, punctuating the biggest drops with dazzling explosions of smoke and streamers that periodically rained down on those fortunate. Beams of neon cut through the air in choreographed precision, creating shapes and patterns that danced above the crowd like something out of a sci-fi fever dream. The experience was quite transportive, as if for a moment we had all been yanked out of Gurugram into Night City, or even The Grid.