Pop Break Live: Otakon at The Washington D.C. Concention Center — July 29, 2022
Words + Photos by David Weaver – burstmethod.com
Otakon, the East Coast’s largest and longest running Japanese animation convention, was held from 29 to 31 July. This year, the convention saw record breaking attendance numbers of 40,000+ fans–the largest attendance ever recorded. Whether you’re a fan of J-Rock or K-Pop, Otakon had something for every music fan this year, with concerts across multiple nights.
With the growing popularity of K-Pop, Otakon held its first ever night of K-Pop concerts on Friday. Held in the upper halls of the convention center, the crowd took up two halls, the walls echoing with the eager cheers of fans as the MC for the evening, Lai Frances, psyched the crowd up.
PIXY, the first group to perform, was making their North American debut. PIXY, a six-member group of dancers and singers known for their intricate yet fluidly flowing choreography had their expertise on full display. PIXY, who debuted in 2021, opened their concert with their debut single “Wings.” In addition to being a highly immersive song that showcases each member’s strengths, it sets the tone for the origin story of the band–six fairies who had lost their wings. The song even opens with the sinister, hurried whispered demands of giving up their wings or else everyone around them will be cursed. As a fan of themed bands and performances, the immersive story element was definitely a great way to start the concert.
The concert unfolded with performances from their follow-up albums Fairy Forest: Bravery and Fairy Forest: Temptation, released later that same year. Their performance was a mixture of high energy, heart-pumping dance routines, and songs that had the whole audience singing along. PIXY has earned a reputation for their creative storytelling and innovative dances, and after seeing them live, that reputation is well-deserved. When the opening bars of their latest hit, “Villain,” played, the crowd’s excitement was unmistakable.
The darker, edgier tone of the song fully delivers as both a solid storytelling element and a pop hit you can jam and dance to—the audience emphasizing this as they were waving glow sticks along and dancing in the aisles. Having known about the band a few months prior to their Otakon announcement, I was happy to hear them play “Natural,” off of their latest album “REBORN.” It has a great blend of pop and funk-powered back beats, with beat breaks synths reminiscent to the 80s—an innovative period for synth incorporation in music. Overall, PIXY has firmly established themselves as pioneers in the K-pop scene, readily embracing different elements into their music, and I’m looking forward to seeing what they do next.
PIXY Set List:
1.날개 (Wings)
2.그리디 (Greedy)
3.인썸니아 (Insomnia)
4.렛미노 (Let me know)
5.문라이트 (Moonlight)
6.중독 (Addicted)
7.숨 (Soom)
8.내추럴 (Natural)
9.빌런 (Villain)
10.비위치드 (Bewitched)
11.안부 (Greetings)
12.스틸윗미 (Still with me)
13.더문 (The moon)
Rolling Quartz held their very first international concert at Otakon. A five-piece rock band, Rolling Quartz took to the stage with the confidence of seasoned rock stars. Having just released their debut album Fighting earlier this year–a fantastic mixture of classic and modern rock–I knew the concert was going to be an epic one.
And it was truly epic.
No sooner had Rolling Quartz taken to the stage that they began to play an electric guitar rendition of the “Star Spangled Banner,” with their two guitarists trading off between playing verses. It was a fantastic callback to Jimi Hendricks’ famous rendition of the song, which not only did the famed guitarist justice, but showed all of Otakon that Rolling Quartz was here to rock. The audience sang along, cheering along as the last few notes faded, but rather than introduce themselves, Rolling Quartz immediately launched into a cover of “Misery Business” by Paramore, earning delighted cheers from the crowd. After they introduced themselves, they dove straight into “Delight,” the opening track from their debut album “Fighting.”
Highlights from their set include hits from their debut album, such as “Holler,” and, a personal favorite of mine, “Azalea”–which has a fantastic build and progressive complexity in its musical delivery, an excellent showcase of not only their musical influences but the ingenuity behind what Rolling Quartz brings to the genre. They also performed some truly fantastic covers of “Good Night” by Dreamcatcher and “Dynamite” by BTS, among others. To make an already epic concert even more legendary, they performed “Helena” by My Chemical Romance as their encore, which had the entire audience standing up and singing along. Whether it’s the driving and thriving drums, the rocking guitar riffs, the intricately enticing bass, or their incredibly powerful and versatile vocalist whose range and control seems to be blessed by the gods and goddesses of rock and roll, Rolling Quartz fully delivered an unforgettable concert. If their debut international concert is any indication of what the future holds, they’ve got an incredibly bright future ahead of them.
Rolling Quartz Set List:
- Misery Business (Paramore cover)
- Introduction / Delight
- Blaze
- Good Night (Dreamcatcher cover)
- Dynamite (BTS cover)
- Rock and Roll Paradise
- Azalea
- Holler
- Youth Gone Wild (Skid Row cover)
- 심장의노래 (Song of the Heart — Crying Nut cover)
- (Encore) Helena (My Chemical Romance cover)
Fresh off her victory in competing in the American Song Contest, AleXa didn’t pull any punches with her concert. Rather than perform on the stage, she commanded it with the confidence and fire of a natural performer. Immediately launching into the dance-tastic hit “Revolution,” which set the tone for a truly high energy concert. Before performing “Do or Die,” the second song in her set, AleXa mentioned how it was unreal how she had gone from an attendee at Otakon to now being one of their performers. As a long-time attendee of Otakon (since 1998), and having gone from attendee to a concert photographer trusted by the convention, the feeling is something I can relate to.
AleXa’s live performances are highly dance intensive, and the fact that she’s able to sing so clearly while performing is a testament to her ability and dedication to her craft as a dancer and singer. Having been introduced to dance at an early age, starting off with ballet as a child, before moving to competitive dance from middle school through highschool, you can see elements of both influences in her choreography.
As an added treat for her concert, she not only played the lyric video to her hit “Wonderland,” but performed it, again, as an encore. The song has several references, aside from the title, to Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carrol, and AleXa admits that she loves the Alice in Wonderland story and, when she first read the lyrics–submitted by her team of writers–immediately knew that this was the song she wanted to perform. “Wonderland” not only took the American Song Contest by storm, with AleXa upping the ante on the visual elements each round, but had the entire audience, which filled two concert halls during Otakon’s Friday night K-Pop concert, singing along during the refrain. She put on one of the most visually engaging and dance intensive performances I’ve ever seen, seamlessly transitioning from moving in time with her back-up dancers to singing and engaging with the audience.
Overall, it was a fantastic performance. AleXa’s music, dancing, and charisma make for a truly great concert. You can tell she loves what she does, and even her hobbies, she notes, involve work as she spends her off-time songwriting. Powered by seemingly endless creativity and drive to keep on innovating, AleXa is a performer that, if you haven’t seen her live yet, I highly encourage you to do so. If you missed her at Otakon, you can see her at any of her upcoming North American tour dates.
AleXa Set List:
- Revolution
- Do or Die
- Kitty Run
- Villain
- LYRIC VIDEO: Wonderland
- Moon and Back
- Obsession
- Tattoo
- Bomb
- Xtra
- ENCORE: Wonderland
If Friday night’s concert set the tone for a great weekend of performances, the G.L.A.M.S. concert on Saturday showed us that Otakon wasn’t done rocking the house–not by a long shot. G.L.A.M.S. came to Otakon to rock, and they absolutely crushed their live performance. G.L.A.M.S., a solo project by vocalist Mikaru, took the stage by storm. G.L.A.M.S. opened their Saturday concert by playing their latest single “Return of the Empire”–whose music video just released in June, before launching into their rock-tastic “Dragonfly,” from their 2018 EP “Ever-Changing.” Their single “Return of the Empire” expands on rock as an art form–bringing the trademark driving guitar riffs and passionate, gritty vocals, but incorporating backing vocals that resemble a mixture of chants and choral refrains. However, as peculiar a combination as that may seem, G.L.A.M.S. makes it work, which just goes to show you how ingenious their creativity is when it comes to crafting songs.
G.L.A.M.S. is a band that, to put it simply, does it all. Their concert was a rock show in the best of ways, bringing some truly intense energy that took the concert hall by storm. As a band, they’re incredibly versatile—performing anything from Bing Crosby-styled crooning, slow-build, soul-stirring rock ballads, and high energy, headbanging rock anthems. This versatility enables them to bring something new to every performance. Their Saturday concert had the energy of a packed arena show, and they didn’t let up the momentum for a single moment. Entranced by their energy and Mikaru’s charisma, the audience took to their feet and sang along to the uplifting “In Endless Rainfall” and the thrash-tastic, fist pumping “Our Freak Show.” However, Mikaru’s delivery wasn’t limited to just high energy rocking vocals. He showed that he also excels at heartfelt rock ballads such as “Unbreakable Chain.” Even during the ballads, his showmanship as a performer perfectly expressed the emotions of the piece.
Yudai, who was shredding some serious solos on his guitar was just as expert of a performer. Wearing a rainbow mosaic jacket and pants and wielding a Jurassic Park sticker-covered guitar—a favorite movie of his, as well as mine—he fully devoted himself to unleashing some monumental musicality. As a photographer, you might get lucky for the band you’re shooting to look your way, maybe even interact with you a little bit—these always make for more dynamic photos. Mikaru and Yudai delivered that any more, interacting with everyone during their set—audience and photographer alike. Usually, as a photographer, you’re witnessing a concert. There’s a sense of detachment. Not with G.L.A.M.S.. With them, you’re experiencing the concert as Mikaru and Yudai made a point to not just perform for the audience, but to take them along on the journey. Overall, G.L.A.M.S. is a concert not to be missed as you’ll witness two musicians who are fully dedicated not only to their craft and their art, but to sharing the experience of their passion for music with the audience.
Be sure to check out the set list below and give their music a listen. They’re a band not limited to just one style of delivery, but one constantly looking to see just how far they can take their sound. They’ve got something for everyone.
G.L.A.M.S. Set List:
01 : Return of the Empire
02 : Dragonfly
03 : Rosy Life
04 : Forgive Me
05 : The Other Side of the Moon
06 : Unbreakable Chain
07 : Our Freak Show
08 : Rainy Highway
09 : Try to Live
10 : In Endless Rainfall
