In case you were under a Graveler-shaped rock, Pokémon celebrated its 25th birthday with a virtual concert this past weekend. On Feb. 27, Post Malone, an artist literally as old as Pokémon, was the sole act of the night, performing some of his hits and a cover of Hootie and the Blowfish’s “Only Wanna Be With You” as part of the set. The show was ultimately a short but sweet visual tribute to the series’ legacy.
Starting in a stadium, an awkward digital avatar of Posty took center stage and began performing his song “Psycho” before a Pikachu electrified his platform, sending it flying. From here, the platform flew through a variety of environments, beginning over a grassy field with a Pikachu, Eevee and a predictably asleep Snorlax. The platform eventually settled in a forest lit up by glowing Shiinotics, where my boy Torterra was vibing to Posty’s 2019 hit, “Circles”.
If you know Post, you know his lyrics don’t exactly mesh the best with the series of games primarily directed at kids. This made it incredibly hilarious when Posty belted out “You thought it was special (special)/ But it was just the sex though(the sex though),” completely unfiltered while the majestic legendary Pokémon Lugia is flying overhead. While any curses (we’ll get to that in a bit) are filtered out, this made the cut. The result: Visual poetry in motion.
After “Circles” Post and the platform dove into the ocean for his rendition of “Only Wanna Be With You,” which may have been the sole song of the show which used a studio recording. Through the other performances, you get a hint that Post may have actually performed them in some way uniquely for the show, complete with the kind of chants a performer will do to hype a crowd before a chorus. While this means the quality on this one song is more polished than the rest of the set, it also stands out like a sore thumb.