REVIEW — INZO Guided the Ogden Theatre Through an Astral Journey in the Stars

INZO, a recent Denverite, nature enthusiast, avid philosopher and EDM producer, brought his “Earth Magic Tour” home to the Ogden last week for a sold-out show. Tour openers, Blookah, COVEX and Dreamers Delight, filled the Ogden with natural imagery, space visuals and pure anticipation while luminous house plants, glowing with pale green light, sat on either side of the stage. COVEX navigated the energetic crowd’s music taste with ease, dropping gems like his remix for Kid Cudi’s “Day’N’Night.” He even went so far as to say that Denver “brought the best energy out of every city we’ve been to so far.”

INZO

Dreamers Delight.

Dreamers Delight was thrilled to bring out CloZee for a remix of her collaboration with Griz, titled “Color of Your Soul.” Fans were both shocked and elated to see the recent Denver migrant join the stage. Diving back into his own tracks, a bear solemnly walked through the woods onscreen and “The Journey” had fans jumping for joy. In a surprising turn, a remix of “Stay” by Rihanna and Mikky Ekko brought fans into their feels and kept them on their toes. Closing his turbulent set, Dreamers Delight stood before the Denver skyline bathed in golden light.

Just after 11 pm the backdrop flashed and revealed text explaining that INZO had passed out disposable cameras to crowds of previous shows. A slide show of fans played showing wide smiles in each shot. Anxious to see the headliner the crowd chanted INZO’s name. The slide show closed with a message, “Denver, it’s time to make memories of your own.”

INZO

INZO’s grand finale.

Sporting a classic gray beanie, INZO walked across the stage under his signature floating obelisk visual. Soft instrumentals played as he settled, familiarizing himself with the setup in darkness. Suddenly a spiraling milky way swirled on screen and the journey began. A StormTrooper helmet gleamed on the backdrop and encased INZOs shadow. As the imagery suggested, INZO remixed “The Force Theme” from George Lucas’ Star Wars franchise into “Angst,” his second most popular song on Spotify.  

Above the thick crowd, INZO held the presence of a conductor before a symphony. Fans begged for each beat drop and were overjoyed with the exagerated light show. “I know you guys like the funky shit, let’s do this,” INZO said as he dropped “BLASTA,” a legendary collaboration with LSDREAM. Deep reds and blacks filled the light show breaking away from the lighter colors of the previous songs. Each beat waxed and waned in waves of color pulling the crowd in each direction.

With a heavy heart, INZO took the energy down a few notches with a remix of “Self-care” by Mac Miller. The crowd sang along and INZO acknowledged the shared love of the now-deceased artist. “I do not think there is a better form of self-care than what you’re doing right now,” INZO said. Next, he remixed “You & Me” by Flume, which washed over the audience with both nostalgia and joy.

As the hour grew late, INZO made sure to take a moment to soak up the love and take a photo with the crowd. “We don’t usually do this,” INZO chuckled as he took a photo with his team, adding “but Denver is such a special place to all of us.” Blookah, COVEX and Dreamer’s Delight returned to the stage with shy smiles as the crowd roared. 

INZO.

Shortly after the photoshoot, INZO took a moment to appreciate the Earth Magic Tour as the first tour he has ever headlined and celebrate his sold-out show at the Ogden Theatre. Wiping a tear from his face, INZO thanked Denver. Fans were thrilled a wrought with emotion, exposing the truly symbiotic relationship that can exist between musicians and an audience. The intro of “Overthinker” teased as a remix of “Crazy” by Gnarls Barkley began. With a massive and long-awaited beat drop, pink and white confetti filled the Ogden from floor to ceiling. A sample of Alan Watts’ voice rang above the crowd addressing intimate fears and complexities in his soothing tone to end the show.

If you are reading this and feeling slightly devastated you missed the legendary show, there’s good news: INZO announced that he will be back in Denver next year at the Mission Ballroom and surely many times in the future.

It is clear that INZO’s ability to draw on philosophy and the nature around him will continue to flood his life with music and recognition. We are lucky to experience his music that serves as a bridge between Denver and a galaxy far far away. 

All photography by Victoria Glidden.