Pokémon's 30th Anniversary EDM Concert Brings Pikachu to the DJ Booth

Pokémon staged its first large-scale concert ever on Saturday night, an EDM spectacular at Los Angeles' Intuit Dome headlined by Marshmello and Alison Wonderland to mark the franchise's 30th anniversary.

The show, billed as "Pokémon Night Out," fused the creatures of the video games and trading cards with lasers, pyrotechnics and the visual language of electronic dance music. It was livestreamed for fans who couldn't attend, and a second performance is set for London's O2 Arena on November 10.

Why EDM, of all genres?

At first glance, the pairing looks odd. Pokémon is colorful and family-friendly; EDM is loud and head-banging. But Narbeh Minasians, senior director of brand communications and digital marketing for The Pokémon Company International, told Variety the overlap runs deeper than it seems.

"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," Minasians said. "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."

He added: "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."

What did the sets actually look like?

Drawing on 30 years of history and more than 1,000 creatures, the two DJs — both Pokémon fans themselves — built sets that played equally to gamers and ravers.

Alison Wonderland opened with a countdown of nearly every Pokémon while DJing in front of a massive video wall. She remixed the classic theme song from the "Pokémon" TV show and brought out a neon-covered Pikachu with glowing glasses and color-changing ears. Her standout moment was a remix of the eerie Lavender Town theme from the original games, with pixelated "Pokémon Red and Blue" footage playing alongside her haunting beat from the ghost-filled town.

Marshmello then took the stage, his booth appearing to float in the center of the video wall as Pokémon-themed visuals swirled around him. Smoothly animated creatures flew, danced and battled beside the masked DJ while lasers criss-crossed the dome. Specific segments included:

• A sleek Corviknight soaring through a city over chill beats
• The punk rock-inspired Toxtricity jamming on projected scaffolding during "Come & Go," his song with Juice Wrld
• A frozen video wall with falling snowflakes, shattered by fighters Lucario and Greninja battling on the ice
• A creepy Gengar floating above Marshmello in a crumbling, haunted castle
• Eevee, Pikachu, Charmander, Squirtle and Bulbasaur frolicking in tall grass

The show's biggest moment came with a showdown between Groudon, the earth-shaking legendary, and Kyogre, master of the seas. The "Ruby and Sapphire" rivals faced off as the screen split between erupting volcanoes and crashing tsunamis, briefly shifting to black-and-white as they blasted each other with a hyper beam and hydro pump. The crowd, per Variety's account, lost its mind as a real-life Pokémon battle unfolded in front of them.

Marshmello closed with Mewtwo looming large on screen, telekinetically lifting rocks and a mini animated Marshmello, before ending on his song "Happier" over a montage of dancing Pokémon.

What does this change for the franchise?

Cosplayers dressed as favorite Pokémon and trainers packed Intuit Dome, and the show worked for longtime fans and EDM ravers alike. With the London date on November 10 ahead, the success of the Intuit Dome performance points toward more musical Pokémon events as the franchise looks to its next 30 years.