Gotta rave ’em all! Pokémon celebrated its 30th anniversary with an epic EDM concert at LA’s Intuit Dome with DJs Marshmello and Alison Wonderland on Saturday night.
Billed as Pokémon Night Out, the show mixed together the creatures from the popular video games and trading cards with the lasers, pyrotechnics and mind-blowing visuals of EDM music. The event was livestreamed online for fans who couldn’t attend in person, and there’s a second show at London’s O2 Arena on Nov. 10.
But why EDM music? At first, there doesn’t seem to be much of a connection between the colorful, family-friendly world of Pokémon and the loud, head-banging techno genre. However, the two communities have a surprising number of similarities.
“Folks who are big fans of EDM, there are four principles that they all subscribe to: peace, love, unity and respect. PLUR. That notion is so aligned with the values of Pokémon in so many ways. We have a mission of bringing the world together through Pokémon. This seemed like a really natural way to be able to bring those worlds together and to be able to find that middle ground,” said Narbeh Minasians, senior director of brand communications and digital marketing for The Pokémon Company International. “We’ve never done anything like this before. This is brand new for us. This is a true celebration of 30 years of our brand, and it’s being done in the most incredible, original fashion that you can imagine.”
After launching 30 years ago and growing into a worldwide phenomenon across entertainment, gaming and merchandise, Pokémon ended its banner year in style with Marshmello and Alison Wonderland, two fans of the brand themselves. And LA’s high-tech Intuit Dome was the perfect venue for the one-of-a-kind show.
With 30 years of history and more than 1,000 Pokémon to choose from, Marshmello and Alison Wonderland crafted two sets that blew the minds of Pokémon fans and EDM ravers alike. Alison Wonderland kicked things off with a countdown of nearly every Pokémon while she DJ’ed in front of a massive video wall with vibrant images of the video game creatures. She played to the crowd’s nostalgia with a remix of the classic theme song from the “Pokémon” TV show, then brought out a neon-covered Pikachu on stage with her. The yellow Pokémon mascot had glowing glasses and ears that changed colors along with the set. One of the standout moments of the entire concert was Alison Wonderland’s remix of the eerie theme from the creepy Lavender Town in the original “Pokémon” games. Footage from the pixelated “Pokémon Red and Blue” played on screen along with her haunting beat from the ghost-filled town that has creeped out Pokémon trainers for decades.
Marshmello then took the stage and appeared as if his DJ booth was floating in the center of the video wall as Pokémon-themed visuals swirled all around him. Smoothly animated Pokémon that looked like they were ripped straight from the latest games flew, danced and battled right next to the DJ as he performed. The masked DJ played to both fans of his own EDM style and Pokémon gamers with eye-popping lasers that criss-crossed through Intuit Dome and fan-favorite Pokémon that appeared in short vignettes on screen.
In one section, a sleek Corviknight soared through a city as chill, beats thumped through the landscape. In another, the punk rock-inspired Toxtricity jammed on some projected scaffolding alongside Marshmello as his song “Come & Go” with Juice Wrld played. After that, the video wall froze over as white mist floated above it and snowflakes fell from the ceiling. Two fighters, Lucario and Greninja, appeared, broke through the frozen screen and fought on the shattered ice blocks in an epic battle. Every type of Pokémon was well represented: a creepy Gengar floated above Marshmello as he played in a crumbling, haunted castle before adorable critters like Eevee, Pikachu, Charmander, Squirtle and Bulbasaur frolicked in the tall grass.
The most jaw-dropping moment of the show came with a showdown between two beloved Pokémon foes: the earth-shaking Groudon and Kyogre, master of the seas. The “Ruby and Sapphire” legendaries faced off as the screen split between erupting volcanoes and crashing tsunami waves. For a second, everything went from color to black-and-white as the drama intensified and the two powerful Pokémon blasted each other with a hyper beam and hydro pump. The pumped-up crowd lost its mind as a real-life Pokémon battle unfolded in front of their eyes.
The show came to a close with one more appearance from a legendary Pokémon: Mewtwo from the original games. The all-powerful, psychic Pokémon loomed large on the screen then telekinetically lifted rocks and even a mini, animated Marshmello as the beats played. The DJ then closed his set with his song “Happier” as a montage of Pokémon danced the night away.
In its 30 years, Pokémon has never attempted a large-scale concert like this, but it proved to be a hit for both longtime fans and EDM ravers. Cosplayers packed Intuit Dome dressed as their favorite Pokémon and trainers from the TV show, ready to jam all night. Hopefully the success of the Intuit Dome show and the upcoming London concert pave the way for more musical Pokémon events as the franchise looks ahead to its next 30 years.
