Recent attendees of the official Pokémon Night Out EDM event in Los Angeles have expressed significant disappointment, with many feeling misled by the concert's marketing. The event, which featured DJs Marshmello and Alison Wonderland, was advertised as an immersive experience at the "center of the Pokémon world," but fans reported a severe lack of Pokémon content, particularly during Marshmello's set.
According to social media posts and fan accounts, general admission tickets for the event cost upwards of $300. Attendees expected a deep integration of Pokémon music and themes, but instead experienced what many described as a standard DJ set accompanied by scattered Pokémon visuals on screen. One Reddit user, yingtaohua77, stated, "Instead, it felt like a couple of DJs playing their regular sets while VJs threw some Pokémon visuals on the screens." Another fan, ZackMcCool, lamented, "What do you mean I spent 300 dollars on GA tickets for a pokemon rave for them to play a total of 2 pokemon songs."
The criticism largely centers on Marshmello's performance, which reportedly included no Pokémon music. While the visuals sometimes featured characters and scenes from the franchise, many felt they were inconsistently applied and lacked a cohesive direction. One attendee noted, "This was a Marshmello show that was Pokémon-themed, not the other way around (despite being marketed as being ‘curated for audiences seeking a deeper connection with the brand’)."
Alison Wonderland's performance, however, was generally received more positively. She incorporated the iconic anime theme song and a remix of the Lavender Town theme into her set, which fans appreciated as fulfilling the event's promise. Videos of her performance show these Pokémon-themed musical moments, in contrast to the feedback regarding Marshmello's set.
Despite the mixed reception, tickets are still available for an upcoming Pokémon Night Out show in London, which are priced significantly lower than the Los Angeles tickets. The event's organizers promised an experience that would "immerse the audience at the center of the Pokémon world," a goal that many attendees felt was not met by the execution of the Los Angeles concert, particularly given the substantial cost.