Odesza delivers a body-rattling, pyro-stuffed EDM spectacle at Milwaukee's Summerfest

EDM doesn't work so great at Summerfest's amphitheater — all that tiered seating isn't so conducive for dancing. That's why in the 11 years since A-list DJs have regularly headlined major festivals around the world, Summerfest, one of the world's largest music festivals, has only booked two EDM shows for its biggest stage.

But Odesza — Friday's American Family Insurance Amphitheater headliner at the Milwaukee festival — isn't like any other EDM act.

The Washington-originated duo of Clayton Knight and Harrison Mills may not have the mainstream name recognition of (shudder) the Chainsmokers. But no EDM act today delivers a more intense, elaborate and exhilarating live show, making Odesza one of EDM's most in-demand festival bookings (when they're not on an arena tour).

The first seconds of Friday's 90-minute set foreshadowed the powerful lighting and overwhelming bass that was to come, and has become mandatory for the EDM big leagues. A brief white flash left me momentarily blind, while a quick bass rumble pulsated through my entire body and clothes.

Within the first 13 minutes, other standard EDM bells and whistles followed — slick sci-fi animation; dazzling, dizzying lasers; enough fireworks to rival Milwaukee's Fourth of July festivities; an arsenal of flamethrowers casting fire in every direction; a huge eruption of confetti.

But by this point, Odesza also distinguished themselves from their peers. There was the dramatic eight-piece drum line section, its members frequently wearing masks, who snapped illuminated, color-changing snares in between twirls of their sticks between their fingers; plus a live trumpet and trombone player. The additional musicians didn't merely give fans something human to look at; they were smartly arranged to enhance Odesza's soulful anthems.

During "Loyal" for instance, the drum line was split into two halves for a bit of follow the leader, and also positioned on different sides of the stage, creating a sublime stereo effect, with the swelling horns enhancing the drama. The snap of snares were also sharply contrasted with heavy, alien transmission-like synth stabs during "Equal," and during showstoppers "La Ciudad" and "A Moment Apart," the arsenal of snares was modified to include tom and bass drums, creating a textured percussive base that enhanced the tracks' grandeur.

But those are the elements that have become common at Odesza shows. This one at Summerfest had some surprise special guests.

The producer duo carved out space during "Wide Awake" for Charlie Houston's live, fragile vocals to shine through, while Izzy Bizu brought some disco-kissed frivolity to her appearance for "Forgive Me," her stage command holding firm even as the sudden bass rumbles and flamethrower blitz threatened to swallow everything in its wake.

And recurring collaborator Naomi Wild showed up to sing two songs live: "Better Now," and more impactfully, "Higher Ground," a cleansing breather near the show's finish where Wild's pretty vocals were given space to glisten atop Knight's gentle piano melodies.

But it was back to razzle-dazzle at the end for "The Last Goodbye," a nod to Moby's pop culture-dominating "Play" era," with piped in soulful vocals from Bettye LaVette accompanied by fluttering trumpet, live drumming, and for the first time Friday, bass guitar (as if the show needed any more bass).

And despite the atypical EDM setting in Summerfest's amphitheater, and even though it was unbearably sticky and sweltering close to the stage, most of the Odesza fans who filled the amphitheater to near capacity danced with all of their might.

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Bonobo, Drama, QRTR and Olan opened the show

EDM is so male-dominated (and in turn, Summerfest’s EDM bookings have been as well) that it was great to see QRTR and Olan set the right vibe Friday with their soulful, laidback sound.

The night’s second opener, Chicago duo DRAMA, upped the, well, drama, with charismatic frontwoman Via Rosa kicking her legs, getting a lot of mileage out of a bubble gun, and unleashing a cathartic, bad-energy-annihilating scream while producer Na’el Shehade created the night’s first dance parties.

Unlike the first two acts, British DJ Bonobo didn’t have any live vocals (nor live instrumentation, a staple at many of his shows), but he creatively blended club music with world music elements, giving people a good time despite an absence of his typical live show trappings.

Contact Piet at (414) 223-5162 or plevy@journalsentinel.com. Follow him on Twitter at @pietlevy or Facebook at facebook.com/PietLevyMJS.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Odesza delivers body-rattling EDM spectacle at Milwaukee's Summerfest