Get ready, DJ Rotom — Pokémon is throwing an EDM party.
The Pokémon Co. announced Monday that it has tapped artists Marshmello and Alison Wonderland for a pair of electronic music concerts in Los Angeles and London. “Pokémon Night Out” will feature custom sets and visuals themed to the popular multimedia franchise and its signature Pocket Monsters.
The two shows, for fans 16 and older, are part of the company’s celebration of Pokémon’s 30th anniversary. The first installments of the video game series, “Pokémon Red” and “Pokémon Green,” were released for the Game Boy in Japan in 1996. (The U.S. versions, titled “Pokémon Red” and “Blue,” were released in 1998.) Since then, the characters Pikachu, Bulbasaur, Squirtle and Charmander have become household names.
“[W]ith immersive experiences like ‘Pokémon Night Out,’ we’re leveraging the power of music to unite Trainers across our global fan community,” Taito Okiura, the Pokémon Co. International’s vice president of marketing and media, said in a statement. “Both Marshmello and Alison Wonderland share a genuine passion for Pokémon that extends beyond the stage, making this collaboration a natural celebration of the fandom.”
“I’m a huge Pokémon fan so I am FREAKING OUT,” Wonderland said in an Instagram post featuring a slideshow of her with a plethora of Pokémon plushies. “Dreams come true.”
The producer and DJ added that she will have “have special Pokémon visuals and song edits just for these shows.”
“I grew up with Pokémon,” Marshmello said in a video posted to the Pokémon YouTube channel. The artist shared that his favorite Pokémon is Mewtwo, the genetically engineered clone of the mythical Pokémon Mew.
“Charizard and Pikachu, they’re kind of bubbly and kind of lighthearted,” he said while shuffling through Pokémon cards and other themed paraphernalia. “I just remember Mewtwo being a little bit more ominous.”
The L.A. edition of “Pokémon Night Out” will be held at the Intuit Dome on Oct. 24. The London show, at the O2 arena, will follow Nov. 10.
