Deadmau5 stumbles off stage at Coachella

DJ Deadmau5 made a chaotic return to Coachella over the weekend, taking the Quasar stage on April 18 under his techno alias Testpilot. The Canadian DJ, whose real name is Joel Zimmerman, appeared visibly intoxicated during the set, slurring his speech and eventually collapsing behind the DJ booth before being escorted off stage. Zimmerman had been scheduled to perform a back-to-back set with fellow electronic artist Zhu, but the duo’s appearance was abruptly cut short after Deadmau5 was seen taking shots mid-performance. The next morning, Zimmerman addressed the incident on Instagram, posting a series of apologetic and self-deprecating updates. “I don’t remember a thing,” he wrote, alongside a photo of a water bottle. “But I don’t think I had a cig? So… that’s good I guess? Going back to bed. Wake me up around Thursday-ish.” In a comment, he added, “Probably my last Coachella,” hinting that the 2025 festival could mark the end of his appearances at the iconic event.