In recent times, the oft-outspoken Canadian DJ/producer Joel Zimmerman, better known as Deadmau5 has arguably stepped on a few toes. He has polarised both DJs and music fans alike. That aside, come Friday night, on the back of his charged Good Vibrations performance and a set at the official afterparty, he came to packed house to do it all again. Tickets were extremely hard to come by, despite a switch in location to the bigger and more comfortable Forum at the Fox Entertainment Quarter.

Fellow international Micky Slim warmed up the crowd with a set that from reports was a touch mixed, but in the last thirty minutes he cranked it up nicely, and he certainly had the crowd worked up like a litter of kittens: chomping at the bit for some Mau5 action.

When it arrived, the Forum erupted. Opening with his chunky Ghosts ‘n Stuff and throwing hard into Hi Friend shortly after, it was a dirty start full of beats, and the start of what would be an interesting three-hour set. The crowd heaved as one and despite looking very much like a festival crowd (with the drink prices set accordingly), the young punters on the floor had come out in droves to have some fun. And fun they would have.

Zimmerman interacted with the crowd every chance he got, sinking beer after beer and even sharing one with a lucky punter on stage: a moment that I’m sure wont be forgotten anytime soon. Deadmau5 played what the fans really wanted to hear, including a string of his own anthemic productions from Random Album Title such as Not Exactly and Arguru, as well as his Grammy-nominated remix of Morgan Page’s The Longest Road. Hell, one fan wanted to hear the song so much, his T-shirt threatened the Canadian’s manhood if it wasn’t played. Fanatic much?

An hour into it, and everyone was flying. Nevertheless, the second hour saw the momentum drop just a touch, the energy levels wane, and the intensity sneak a peek out the door. Maybe it was just that he appeared to be playing ridiculously long versions of his own songs, but for whatever reason, things dropped a touch. One of the criticisms of Deadmau5 is that it can all start sounding a bit ‘samey’. True to an extent, and maybe in a three hour set it’s even more noticeable. Some took it as an opportunity to duck outside and take a breather; others decided to continue their party elsewhere. For those of us that stayed though, we would be rewarded. In short, the flatness of the second hour was nowhere to be seen, and like a man rejuvenated and the crowd responding accordingly, it went nuts.

The tracks matched his mood. Still plenty of prog, but he certainly wasn’t afraid to dish up some electro either; in fact for the last thirty minutes, he placed the two side-by-side, front and centre. The crowd may have thinned a touch, but if anything, it gave those who were present loads sufficient room to completely lose their shit. And that we did. Whether it was the euphoria of the moment, or just being in the right place at the right time, but it felt like something special. For those close enough to the front, there was not one, but two, special messages to the crowd courtesy of the Mau5 laptop: “I fucken love Sydney. Seriously”, which was followed up by “second best gig. ever.that actually means a lot”.

Corny? Cheesy? Call it what you will, but it wasn’t compulsory and it was just a nice touch. The crowd that was present certainly appreciated it. He wrapped it up, and as he exited stage right, he left the crowd chanting for more. Literally. Given what he’d told them moments earlier, it was only fair that he gave them just that little bit more. So he re-emerged and threw right into his remix of the Daft Punk hit Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger . It would get cut short though – management discretion perhaps – but knowing the crowd still wanted more… what is left to be done? Risk life and limb and throw yourself into the sea of sweaty punters below you? Absolutely. Why the hell not.

For Deadmau5 fans in Sydney, it was a great night that topped off a top week: three solid sets, and ultimately, a night that left them in no doubt that he of the Mau5 variety, will be venturing back to our shores soon enough. Plenty of people will be happy with that.